Magical Mayhem - Part 3 - Killer Queen
by manga ranga
Summary: The Prism Star is about to be reformed and Princess Shalazia's plans are coming to fruition. Mario and Co are scattered between the Arcane Kingdom and Malevolent Mire, can they unite to stop the princess before it's too late? Yet there are still many unanswered shadowy questions to the true cause of this mayhem.
1. Rise and Shine Daisy

She could finally feel cold again? How long had it been? There was sensation in her limbs even though she was still blinded. The cold was painful, jarring, forcing her into a standing position. Yet the pain subsided to be replaced by warmth. The icy stillness replaced by damp movement. Her body did not respond as she fell forward and met the floor with heavy thud. She could barely move in that moment, like she was anchored to the metal and stone ground. Finally Daisy's eyes could open although her hearing hadn't quite returned yet.

Daisy was in a brightly light laboratory of some kind. The ceiling was wreathed in cables pulsing with electricity and steam, looking closer to the overgrowth of a treetop than an actual roof. They were almost moving like serpents making her dizzy just staring at them. The walls were lined with all manner of cabinets and workspaces that hosted all manner of mechanical and biological specimens. A closed door led elsewhere, away from prying eyes. For the most part the main floor was clear aside from a few operating tables and two large pits that dropped suddenly. The walls had appeared to part thanks to the collection of gears gathered at either side.

The view from the opened wall was a world away from the deserts and oasis of Sarasaland. The night sky was the strangest as there was no star in sight, only a luminescent moon that cast a silver light upon the earth. Where the problem in Daisy's kingdom was a lack of water, this land appeared to be saturated to the point of festering. All the plants either clung to life or were dead and rotting in the murky sludge that passed as water. The earth was soft mud, making it near impossible to get steady footing. Sinking in the swamps were the ruins of ancient castles and cities. Once proud beacons of civilisation were now lost, half submerged in the putrid earth like stunned giants being consumed by quick sand. The trees were mostly withered husks studded with moss and fungi. They glowed with colourful bioluminescence adding a sense of life to the dying mire.

She tried to pull herself upright but found the layers of her saturated dress pinned her to the ground. A firm hand grabbed her and Daisy found herself being thrown over someone's shoulder. As the laboratory moved around her, she noticed others in the room. An alabaster Boo materialised from the air, her eyes were lined and curled with deep turquoise. A leather and brass backpack was strapped to her as she hovered with quill and book in hand. She smiled, revealing rows of fangs dripping with ectoplasm. A Magikoopa who wore a layered dress of blacks, blues and turquoise with a small shrug around her shoulders. A leather corset made the skirts flare out to create a more feminine shape. Icy blue hair was grown long and curled over her shoulders. A charcoal top hat with a broad rim rested on her head.

"Looks like the spell worked," the Magikoopa laughed shyly "Shalazia's curses are so strong, I didn't think we could bring you back. I'm glad I proved myself wrong."

The Boo called out "Please take it easy princess, we're not here to hurt you. Some new clothes will be arriving shortly for you."

Daisy tried to move her mouth, uttering pitifully "Where… who?"

"I'm Gallileo," the Boo informed, she gestured to the Magikoopa "That's Magnifico and the lady carrying you is Diabella."

Daisy found herself gently placed on a nearby couch, she finally saw the face of her third saviour. She looked human with jagged white hair that was shaped like lightning bolts around her face. She appeared to be wearing a lab uniform studded by large gold buttons and shaded with dark greys. A hefty pair of safety goggles obscured most of her face. A thick leather belt hugged her waist while tight sleeves striped black and purple covered her arms to vanish beneath leather gloves. Her smile revealed a missing front tooth and seemed more cruel than kind.

Everything then clicked in Daisy's mind "You're the Lightning Queen!? Then…" she tried to gesture weakly to Gallileo and Magnifico "You're some of the Steampunks… and I'm now in the Malevolent Mire? What is going on?" Her eyes widened as she forced herself upright "I need to save Peach! That Shalazia woman is just as bad as I thought she was!"

Diabella caught Daisy before she could fall again, carefully returning her to the couch with ease "And that's exactly why Shalazia put you on ice. You'd be surprised how gullible, naïve and generally trusting people are in this era if a pretty face begs for help." Diabella sighed as she studied Daisy's features "Then again, I doubt the direct descendent of Belladonna would be so easy to fool."

"Belladonna? The founding queen of Sarasaland? But… you speak as though you knew her?"

Diabella shrugged "Either way, thank my buddies for your rescue. They ran into some guy called Luigi at Shyguy Falls, he told us where you were and that you needed help."

"And you willingly helped? What kind of deal did you force him into? Where is he, Peach and Mario?"

"I'm helping because my sister, Shalazia is completely insane and planning to do something with forbidden magic for the wrong reasons."

"There's a right way to use forbidden magic?"

"Of course there is, it's all about context. So, no deal was really struck. Just an exchange of information. As for he and Mario's location, I can't say. But Peach was not in the barracks with you so Shalazia has squirreled her away somewhere else along with Wario, Bowser and Ludwig… I don't like where this is going at all."

Daisy stamped her foot and demanded "And where is this going exactly? Stop talking in riddles!"

"Shalazia fell in love with the first king of the Mushroom Kingdom Lentinellus who in turn, completely brainwashed her, taught her forbidden magic and brought the downfall of life as our kingdom knew it. Since then, she has been trying to rebuild the Prism Star so she can create the Water of Life, ascend to the Star Road and be by Lentinellus' side forever and ever. Does that about cover it?"

"Yes… that was surprisingly direct."

"Ask me the right questions and I'll give you answers."

"Has Shalazia tried this before?"

"Many times actually, but she tends to fail partially because of me and the fact that no one prior to this era has been so gullible and stupid that they immediately believed everything she said without checking facts."

Daisy fell silent, Diabella was right… Mario, Luigi and Peach had a habit to be so trusting and kind. They had even managed to infect Bowser a little as most of the time it felt their 'rivalry' and 'kidnappings' were just excuses to play a game only they knew about. It was why Daisy usually kept her distance especially after the time Bowser ended up going into space. Daisy had a kingdom to run, she couldn't disappear on a whim like that. Daisy then noticed Gallileo float in front of her with a bag overflowing with clothes.

"You can fill us in on what you know in a minute," The Boo smiled and offered the bag to her "Your dress is saturated, you'll catch your death if you stay in it. The tailors in Rhapsody have offered some clothing for you pick from." She then gestured to a nearby doorway and floated alongside Daisy "You can get changed in here, I can help you if your fingers are still a bit numb."

Diabella let out a sigh, she knew this end game against Shalazia was fast approaching. She knew it had to come one day, but a part of her always hoped Shalazia would come to her senses. That they could be a family again…

"Diabella…" Magnifico spoke timidly "Look… I helped with the situation… the princess is free…" She steadied her nerves "I'm not going to help you with whatever you're going to do next."

"That's fine, I understand." Diabella smirked back to her old friend "I know you're still hurting from Figaro's death… in fact, I'd prefer it if you and Scaramouch kept your distance with this."

"Good luck with Scaramouch, she despises Shalazia…"

"Well, how about I plan Scaramouch to go with those Koopalings to take control of the Arcane Kingdom while Fandango, Gallileo and I go to where Shalazia really is." Diabella knelt down to Magnifico's level "I don't know what's going to happen to us… but I need you here to protect Rhapsody and keep it going. There are so many people who rely on this town, it can't just stop because I'm not here."

Magnifico gasped "So you think this is really the end for you?"

Diabella shrugged "Who knows? But I always have to consider it a possibility."

Magnifico bowed deeply and Diabella returned the gesture. Nothing more had to be said between them so Magnifico took her leave. She no longer wanted a part of this story. She had heard from Diabella not to trust Shalazia but she had no idea how far Shalazia could go; to so cruelly take advantage of modern day royalty for personal gains. It was sickening…

* * *

The old bridge leading to Diabella's laboratory still creaked with each step. At this point it was difficult to tell how much of it was moss and fungus rather than wood. Magnifico saw that Bismillah and Beelzebub were missing from the drained moat that circle the laboratory. The earth at the bottom was carpeted with layers of moss in shades of blue and green. It glistened beneath the light cast behind the tower suggesting it was more slime than plant at that point. The drained moat was riddled with tunnels and doorways leading into the unknown; some looked made by hand with architectural frames in place; others were cracked and ripped into the earth like something had burrowed through.

Crossing the bridge was crossing into another world, leaving behind the dark, ramshackle tower Diabella called home led one into the streets of Rhapsody. It was an ingenious little industrial town partly immersed in the surrounding swamps. Hidden within the heart of the Malevolent Mires, beyond the ruined city, the treacherous crags, the wild overgrowth and the catacombs, was a bustling nocturnal playground. The buildings were actually supported by large platforms, pontoons and stilts to move with seasonal rainfall and the shifting terrain of the swamps. Every few months the main streets would change and channel visitors into other districts of the small town. The original settlers had crafted this town from the ruined husk of another. The architecture was a quilt of steel and stone speaking to an era long gone. The walls of the buildings were steel as gears churned beneath exposed panels. The street lamps slowly stirred to life as night draped it dark cloak over the sky. Smoke stacks atop the tiled rooves yawned with steam.

Magnifico remained in silent contemplation as she walked the boulevard. The walls were either smeared with posters of popular acts or painted with murals from one of the many artists. They lifted the surrounding nature, the death and decay, to create a small oasis of harlequin beauty. The streets came to life beneath the colourful lights to draw patrons into the markets and restaurants. Every night felt like there was a festival on as people took to the streets. She stepped aside as a centipede bus carrying passengers skittered past at lightning speed. Giant moths fluttered without being distracted by the light, carrying tiny letters and parcels like homing pigeons. Stoic, hardy beetles trundled along towing giant carts overflowing with supplies for the town. Their handlers never strayed far from their side but always tipped their hats or waved at people passing by.

It was a strange town… yet Magnifico had learned to call it home after leaving the Koopa Kingdom. With new resolve she marched to the headquarter office on the main street. The place where all the raids were organised and all town queries were raised. She had to tell the people of this town what they were up against. She had to get planning on how to protect their home if Shalazia came for them.


	2. The Freezing Descent

Luigi kept focused on the flight path the whole way back from Bowser's Castle. He was trying his hardest to avoid sobbing uncontrollably. Yet he could still feel his knees knock together every so often. The airship was commandeered from Bowser's fleet, it was fortunate none of his minions dared to fight them. It was a spectacular feat of engineering, a mix of old world ship building, magic and science to create a flying galleon. The marks on the engines below deck indicated it was all Iggy's handiwork. Luigi had to admire the ingenuity of the deranged Koopaling. If he wasn't so scared, maybe he could take the time to appreciate such an amazing invention.

Luigi knew his brother had been cursed by Shalazia but he had no idea how he could confront the princess about it. He hoped at least Daisy and Peach were safe, Magnifico and Gallileo promised him they would do what they could to save them. He occasionally glanced over his shoulder to see Mario standing behind him ominously. There were no words spoken, just an icy frost in the air. Mario's hair and moustache had frosted over slightly as his skin went deathly white. His eyes, usually vibrant and blue, were dull and milky.

Luigi saw the sapphire and gold star badge Shalazia had gifted them. It was pinned to Mario's overalls and was the source of this accursed state. He wanted to tear it away from Mario and hopefully let his brother come to his senses. Yet he feared it may cause more harm than good. Even now, Mario had been partially gifted with Shalazia's mastery of water magic making him a dangerous foe if Luigi tried to fight back or flee. Sadly he knew that in order to survive, Luigi had to keep playing along with the act.

Mario remained oblivious to Luigi. He was mesmerised by the three prism star pieces they had to collect for Shalazia. Those points were like the purest cut diamonds that reflected all the colours of the rainbow. Luigi could feel something sinister about them. He hated when he got feelings like this because they always proved to be true. There was nothing more he could do but steer the airship towards the Arcane Kingdom and hopefully think of plan later.

* * *

Soon enough, Luigi could see an iridescent pearl road trailing along the landscape bellow. It was only from the air that he could see the various paths twisting among mountain ranges to lead travellers to the Arcane Kingdom. High shimmering walls that gleamed with hues of blue like waterfall shielded the civilisation from the mires in the distance. Beyond the gold and sapphire gates was bustling town of beauty and wonder. There did not appear to be any sign of poverty on the streets as its citizens wandered the ivory buildings in a state of euphoria. Gold, sapphire and crystal embellishments framed the plain white stone that parted the beautifully clean canals of gleaming water. The canals themselves networked their ways through the city with elaborate curves and swirls.

A castle rose from its centre and was by far the most remarkable. The pearly walls and turrets looked rather ordinary. It was the curving crystals reaching to the cloud line that made it spectacular. The gleaming gems reflected shades of blue from the surrounding canals. Their form contorted to resemble the flow of water itself as it cascaded down the walls and splashed upwards like tumultuous waves. He originally thought it was beautiful, but now that kingdom looked like a dangerous Piranha Plant waiting to snap.

He looked over his shoulder, feeling an evil gaze upon him. Luigi saw Mario give him the cruellest death glare, reminding him that Mario was no longer in charge of his body. He reluctantly made the necessary preparations and started the descent from the sky to the castle. The chill in the air grew colder the closer they got to the Arcane Kingdom.

The Arcane Kingdom had lost its wondrous lustre. Luigi was rudely shoved off the airship after docking it at one of the upper balconies. Mario kept him in line like a prisoner as they marched through the castle. Sapphire and gold frames outlined every corner of the hall, every piece of furniture was gilded and embellished that he was amazed they didn't break under the weight of the gems. Yet it was all frozen beneath layers of jagged ice; contorting into spikes and swirls to make the halls look like that foreboding maw of a greater beast. Luigi saw the floors were no longer relaxing pools. They were black ice… like a deep lake caught in the grips of winter.

They finally came to one of the identical chambers of this crystallised maze. In the centre of it all was a beautiful princess who looked so out of place in her harsh surroundings. She had that same air of innocence and kindness that Peach had; her hair and gown mimicked a cascading waterfall. Her golden eyes looked to him with understanding. This princess was a delicate snow flower amidst a cold, frozen wasteland. Yet Luigi could not believe how easily she had played them.

"Sorry I couldn't give you a more hospitable welcome, but I've been busy rebuilding my castle. It was attacked while you were away. Not that it matters much, I see you have completed the quest I gave you." Shalazia smiled warmly and wandered to Mario, outstretching a hand which received the remaining pieces of the Prism Star. She marvelled at the crystals "I heard you were the greatest hero of this era, but I didn't believe you could get the job done so easily."

Luigi nervously added "I helped too."

"Yes, yes, you helped too… I guess." Shalazia turned her praise back to Mario "Romulus' bloodline is all about obedience to royalty so I'm glad to see your breed still exists."

"So… that means this Romulus guy is my ancestor too, huh?"

"Yes, I suppose so. But you clearly inherited lesser traits which is why you're useless. My hex didn't even take to you and then you lost one of the badges, the nerve of you people."

Luigi fell silent, he had no real response to that… it took all his strength not to burst into tears. Shalazia raised her hand and spoke an incantation; the icy runes flittered as ethereal chains only to melt away to flimsy ribbons when they attempted to grasp Luigi. Her brow furrowed, this was most unusual. No one should be able to defy her hexes without potent magic abilities. She then sensed something peculiar about him "You uh… you haven't had prolonged exposure to Boos or anything have you? Like, you don't work as an exorcist or anything, right?"

He informed shakily "Actually… I did help out with some Boo problems in the past…"

"Knew it, I can sense Agaricus' taint all over you!"

"Agaricus?"

"The one you know as King Boo. When he was alive, he was the mad mage, Agaricus." Shalazia stomped her feet like a child mid-tantrum "Now, be a good little coward and follow my every command! If I can't control you with magic, you will fear me!"

"No…" Luigi whimpered, he saw her turn to face him. He strengthened his resolve "No! This stops now! I'm taking my brother and the princesses home! We don't want anything to do with you!"

Shalazia tilted her head, her fine features turned to a low snarl "Or else what?"

"I… uh…" Luigi immediately regretted his decision.

"Well, come on," she floated over and poked him hard in the chest "What are you going to do about it?" Luigi shrank beneath her presence "Pitiful. You're a horrific little coward. But I need you for the ritual." She snapped her fingers "Mario," she cooed "Would you be so kind as to escort your brother?"

Mario's deathly eyes were blank by now. He lumbered over to Luigi with outstretched hands. Luigi felt like he was back in those haunted mansions all over again. He was paralysed with fear as Mario grabbed him roughly and forced Luigi to follow Shalazia.

She raised a finger and warned "One wrong step and I will kill your brother."

Luigi replied "But don't you need him for the ritual?"

"Well… yes… but… shut up! There are seven star children. I only have five here so there are still two out there. That means two of you are disposable!" The princess cracked open the surface of the black ice sending them all into the darkness bellow.

* * *

Dull light allowed the outline of the ancient chamber to come into view; emitted from series of gemstones set in the walls. Each was part of a larger pattern of runes that weaved into a giant tapestry across all surfaces of the room. The impossibly high ceiling reached beyond the chamber, high up into a mountain where bioluminescent moss clung to the remains of a sunken city. Luigi, Shalazia and Mario were in the lowest chambers of the Thwomp Ruins. Not the bright, cheery temples he had raced through during go-kart championships. The lost, forgotten remains of the past buried within the mountain. The same ruins one had to traverse to reach the Arcane Kingdom and the Malevolent Mires.

The main feature of this chamber came in the form of a large circular pedestal that bore various crests and charms. The main pattern appeared to be a pentagram that branched out into spiralling meteors and nebulas. Whatever this chamber was; it was clearly designed for casting powerful spells. Everything was too precisely laid out from the main pedestal, to its steps, the support pillars and the canals and pools of pure water that added to the patterns of the charts on the floor. On the main pedestal, frozen upon three of the points of the main pentagram were Bowser, Peach and Wario. Two were vacant, obviously awaiting Mario and Luigi. Off to the side was another ritualistic circle laid out over a pool of clear water. Imprisoned in frozen shackles over it was Ludwig. His form was not frozen but coated in a fine layer of ice crystals.

Shalazia gestured to the remaining points of the main pentagram. Mario robotically dragged Luigi over to one point. When Shalazia snapped her fingers Luigi's legs and feet were frozen in place. Mario then lumbered to his designated place and remained still. With an approving smirk, Shalazia remarked "Excellent, all is in place. Now, to wait for the moon to reach the optimal position."

She glanced upwards revealing that even in the deepest parts of this ruin there was channel leading to the sky. The layers of ruins coalesced around this tunnel to the heavens so that when the moon was in just the right position, it further empowered the ritual chambers.

"That'll be a few hours from now," Shalazia rolled her eyes, she glared at Mario "Make sure no one gets out of place. I'll be back in a while." She wandered over to one of the pools, the waves danced around her and engulfed her. The princess had vanished in an azure splash.

Now that they were alone, Luigi finally noticed that Daisy, Waluigi and none of the other Koopalings were around. Mario was dead to world as he stood in place like a perfect sentry. Luigi turned his attention to the only other person who might be still conscious in the chamber. "Hey…" he looked back at Mario, no response. He yelled a little louder "Hey Ludwig!"

Ludwig lifted his head wearily "Yeah, green Mario?"

"Luigi." He corrected "Look, can you still breathe fire? Think you could hit something from over there?"

Ludwig carefully evaluated the distance between him and the main pentagram. "I think so, perhaps what's closest to me, but I'm pretty drained at the moment… there's something about this chart that's weakening me… could only manage a few shots."

"All I need you to do is weaken the ice around Bowser and Wario… maybe save one fireball for Mario when you get the chance to remove that stupid badge from him."

"Well, look at you. All sneaky and planning."

"Look, are you going to help me or are going to wait for an insane princess to come and do… whatever it is she intends to do to us?"

Ludwig's response came in the form a fireball; it shot directly into Bowser's frozen form. The flames were only red and orange indicating a lower temperature. Yet Ludwig felt he could manage a few shots before passing out from exhaustion.

"That's it! Keep going when you can." Luigi cheered.


	3. Preparing for the fight

Roy took a moment to relish the template of his custom suit. The tailor had cut the calico and was just getting the measurements perfect before going ahead with the selected fabrics. He flexed his arms and was pleased with his reflection.

The Toad tailor rolled her eyes "Will you be doing that often? If so, I'm going to have to reinforce the seams and possibly pick a more durable cloth."

The small boutique was cluttered with reams of fabric and cabinets of paper templates. Much like every other tailor or seamstress in Rhapsody, their workshop spilled out into every corner of their shop. What drew Roy's attention to this one in particular, was the infamy of being a tailor who specialised in suits for Koopa variations. He had to admit, he was beyond impressed. Not even the Koopa Kingdom or any settlement in the Dark Lands could attest to such fashionable designs all tailored to fit his species. It was almost liberating.

The bell above the door clanged loudly as a pamphlet was thrown in their general direction. The tailor took a moment to flick through it after she pulled it from her face. Stricken by panic, she crumpled the paper in her hand before running madly into the back of her shop. Her only answer was "Shop's closed! I'm going now!"

Roy was left very befuddled in front of the mirror. His dreams of fashionable grandeur were slipping from mind. From the window of the shop he could see people running through the streets with much more purpose than usual. He shook his head, judging from the sound of papers and fabric rustling madly at the back of the shop he was not going to get any answers here.

Rumours and whispers had engulfed Rhapsody in those few hours. Panic settled in as the citizens of the swampy town made the decision of whether to evacuate or stay and fight. Like everything in that town, no one was expected to act against their will. Naturally, some chose to leave, hastily packing belongings to then evacuate. Those who stayed prepared for a fight. They worked constantly to find every scrap of metal, every half-finished invention and anything that could be sharpened to a point. Time was running short as they worked madly to build barricades and reinforce the town.

Roy wove through the bustling crowd of panicked bohemians. The template of a tailored suit was still hanging off him as he yelled to no one in particular "Are you serious!? A tailor can't just leave halfway through a fitting!" He was ignored as people kept moving around him in a frenzy.

"Oh Roy! Good! Come on!" Iggy cheered through the bustle, easily stretching above the crowd "Want to have some fun?"

"Uh… sure? But I thought that was what was already going on here?"

"It's gotten serious now, some kind of showdown between here and the Arcane Kingdom."

"Oh… so we're now working with these guys?"

"I am, the others are too, you can do what you want." Iggy bounded off into the crowd, it was only then that Roy noticed him carrying an array of strange fungi.

Out of curiosity, Roy trekked after Iggy as he passed more people preparing to evacuate through a single warp pipe in one of the squares. It appeared to be manned by members of the Robbo Gang and the Pianta Cartel. He suspected the pipeline would lead the bohemians out to Rogueport. Those who remained congregated in the main square where the town organisers settled. The structure used for planning raids and heists of various kingdoms was now a makeshift war room. It was closer to a large open aired pagoda to accommodate all the different creatures who lived there. Each main archway was mounted with the crest of a gear with a lightning bolt through it. At the heart of it all was Magnifico, Wendy, Daisy and Scaramouch directing those who remained to fight. The room was a whirlwind of activity, Lemmy, Iggy, Larry and Morton were busy following orders.

Princess Daisy was perhaps the biggest surprise, Roy hardly recognised her without a gown and tiara on. She was dressed more sensibly with a blouse, kidney belt, tights and knee high boots. All done in the similar steampunk style of Rhapsody, although it appeared to have floral patterns throughout each garment. "You have your locations and tasks assigned." Daisy stood before a section of the assembled troops that spilled into the courtyard "I expect to see those buildings converted to guard towers, the pathways between the rooftops secured and the traps of the outer perimeter set within the hour! We'll be out for inspections shortly!" She glanced over at Wendy "I still can't believe we're working together…"

Wendy snorted "I can't believe how well you've fitted into the role. The only reason we're working together is because Shalazia kidnapped Ludwig, Junior and Bowser and I intend to help get them back."

"I guess the enemy of my enemy is a friend then… she's got Mario, Luigi and Peach too…"

"Yeah, but Peach gets kidnapped so often it's hard to take it seriously." Daisy chortled to herself in response; maybe Wendy was wrong about her in thinking that all human princesses were the same as Peach.

Morton waved to Roy as he headed out with a mallet and few bohemians having been given their orders by Wendy. Iggy followed close behind with a crate of strange mechanical devices, a deranged and excited grin smeared across his face.

"All magic users, remain here and start mass producing runes and catalysts!" Magnifico looked over the vast map unfurled on the tables shoved together "We have to get the bugs out of the water, if Shalazia's forces do a flash freeze they'll be helpless."

Wendy snapped her talons at a group of nearby Koopas and Dry-bones "You heard her, start rounding the bugs up! We're going to need those giant beasts to fight back." The motley crew of musicians and artists went to work and stepped into perfect formation; possibly a reminder of their lives before they arrived here.

Magnifico carefully looked at their plans "So far, we have ways of accounting for attacks from any direction… but we need to guard the pipeline to Rogueport and come up with an evacuation plan if things go south." She raised a finger to silence Wendy before she interject "As Gallileo taught me, a foolish leader is an arrogant leader. We need to take all outcomes into consideration."

Scaramouch tapped another map "I see no tactical advantage in taking the Arcane Kingdom… it's made of ice anyway. Without Shalazia it'd probably melt into nothing soon enough." Lemmy and Larry were perched around her and studying the same diagram.

Lemmy then smirked "But… we should probably blow it up for good measure?"

"Done and done. I'll have that place in rubble"

"Oh Roy, perfect timing, you like explosives, want to blow up a castle with Scaramouch?" Lemmy cheered as he noticed the last Koopaling join their mayhem.

Roy nonchalantly added "I suppose so, nothing else to do."

Wendy added as she passed by "But I think we need a stealth team to handle the Arcane Kingdom rather than send everyone."

Larry then recalled "Wait, Junior is still at the castle. Maybe we should save him?"

"Right, so while you're" she gestured to Scaramouch and Roy "setting the explosives, who's going to rescue that lump?"

"I could." Larry, Wendy, Roy, Lemmy and Scaramouch looked around for the owner of the voice. To their surprise Waluigi was sitting across from them, patiently waiting with his arms neatly folded and resting on the table. Waluigi stood confidently before his peers "I mean, I am the best person to do this. I'm the only one here who could sneak around undetected. You didn't even realise I was here," He then pointed to Scaramouch "Maybe she could too. But that's it."

"Maybe we didn't notice you because you're useless." Larry rolled his eyes "Seriously? You're like the worst plumber out of all four of them."

Roy added "You don't even go on crazy adventures, you just show up for sports and go-karting."

"Firstly, Wario and I are electricians. **Not plumbers.** " Waluigi counted each point on his hand "Secondly, I like playing sports, dancing and go-karting so of course you're going to see me there." He then rolled his eyes "Thirdly, do you know how many losses Wario makes on his big heists? He gets scammed or cursed at some point and gets nothing." Waluigi smirked "Finally, I got the skills. Don't you think it's a little weird how I don't have to work a regular job and yet I never have any money problems?"

Lemmy tilted his head "Come to think of it, your sport gear, karts and motorcycles are always really well cared for…"

"Because I steal things. Lots of things and never get caught. That's the idea. You take things without anyone even noticing they're gone. You don't go for the stupidly ancient, rare, royal treasure, people are going to notice. You don't have to go to some forsaken pyramid to find loot."

"So Wario's castle?"

"Partially mine after Syrup trashed it a few times and I had to pay for the repairs."

"And his company in Diamond City?"

"I've bailed him out of bankruptcy quite a few times."

Larry was unconvinced "So what have your stolen?"

Waluigi laughed "If you have to ask, you clearly don't know." He then addressed everyone again "Case in point, I'll handle the sneak into the castle and steal the frozen brat while you guys fight back the giant golem army headed this way."

"I'll be your getaway driver then." Scaramouch jumped up to punch his shoulder but only reached his elbow "Come on, let's move it to the hovercraft!" Roy, Waluigi and Scaramouch departed quickly to prepare for the job ahead.

At that moment a few Dry-Bones returned, trembling as they admitted "We need help with the bug wrangling."

Wendy snarled to her cousins "Larry, Lemmy, see to it!" They both jumped a little from the vicious tone in her voice. They knew better than anyone that you don't argue with Wendy when she's in charge of a situation. So they both ran off with the Dry-Bones to help complete that task.

The only ones who remained in the bustling war room were Magnifico, Daisy and Wendy. An eerie silence had filled the air that made each of them acutely aware of how the tense the situation and their alliance was. Three different kingdoms were represented in that room. Three different leaders with little in common who happened to share an enemy.

"Say Magnifico," Wendy started "Where exactly is Diabella anyway? Come to think of it, that Boo and Shyguy I'm used to seeing you with are missing too."

Daisy added her own curious thoughts "How exactly will we be dealing with Shalazia anyway? Is she leading the attack on Rhapsody? When can we rescue my friends?"

Magnifico couldn't lie to them "Well… we're a distraction really… a way of diverting Shalazia's strength. On the other hand, we're also protecting this town that so many outcasts call home."

"Well, I guess controlling an army of frozen golems would weaken your magic."

"Diabella has already taken off to divert Shalazia's attention and force her hand to attack Rhapsody… Fandango and Gallileo are with her." Magnifico sighed "They will then go so some place called the Sanctum of Earth and Water to free your friends…"

Daisy demanded to know "If you knew all this then why didn't you say anything!?"

"You're free to leave if you want." Magnifico glared back "But it was kept quiet because unlike you lot, I know when I'm in way over my head. This thing between Diabella and Shalazia… it's not a petty rivalry… it feels so much more ancient… so wrong… I don't want anything to do with it." She then gathered a few of her talismans from a nearby table. She motioned that she was leaving the war room to check on the proceedings of the town's defences "As I said, you're free to leave if you want to. No one will stop you."

As Magnifico left them, the tension in the air grew more intense. Daisy and Wendy remained in silence as her words played over in their minds over and over. Sure, both of them had taken part in the wild adventures of Mario and Bowser's schemes. Yet here it felt as though there was much more at stake, like this was one of those adventures Mario or Bowser didn't want to speak of once they were completed. It was like the time Mario ventured after the Thousand Year Door or when they ventured through time to fight the Shroob. There was something about these stories that no one wanted to discuss further... and yet, that made them want to be here. To see how it would all end.

Wendy asked first "You staying?" Daisy nodded back, Wendy smiled "Then we better get on with inspections."


	4. Cool guys don't look at explosions

Diabella hated this idea… to actually guarantee an attack on Rhapsody rather than leave it as a possibility. Prior to leaving, there had been a meeting between her, Gallileo and Fandango. Collectively they worked out that distracting Shalazia would make her magic less focused which meant it would weaken her. It would present a chance to thwart her and rescue her victims. After running the idea past Magnifico and Scaramouch, they oddly enough endorsed and set about preparing the town for the attack. Diabella knew that she'd made the right choice in indoctrinating Magnifico all those decades ago. She wondered how long it would be before Scaramouch finally took the plunge to pledge her allegiance to the Shadow Queen.

She wondered for a moment what her patron would think… this was by far a major distraction from the end game in mind. Although, in the scheme of things this closure to Diabella's abrupt death and betrayal had been a long time coming. She didn't care for these outsiders being involved, but Shalazia had played her hand and brought the Mushroom and Koopa Kingdom right into the middle of it all. It was all an elaborate distraction so Shalazia could complete her intended plans… no matter how foolish they were.

Casting an eye towards the wetlands bellow, Diabella heard Bismillah start clicking its mandibles. She noticed a shadow moving across the dampened earth leaving ripples in the shallow marshes. She recognised the rounded shape, reminiscent of a flattened Bullet Bill, as Scaramouch's hovercraft. It moved swiftly, skimming across the mud and opaque water like a dragonfly. The time to trigger the battle had come…

* * *

The hour was almost upon her. After so many eons of waiting and wishing and hoping… the time had come. Shalazia could finally win. All she had to do was return to the ritual chamber to cast a final incantation. Then she would finally be able to show how superior she was to her sister. As for the various monarchs and subjects of the Koopa and Mushroom Kingdoms, well, their noble sacrifices will not be forgotten. She danced around her grand, opulent boudoir and how it overlooked her frozen kingdom of crystals. She truly wanted a grand kingdom… to be a princess with a prince and subjects who adored her… it was so much better than the stuffy older archives she and her siblings watched over many eons ago.

Shalazia had a skip in her step as she waved her arms and conjured her armour to manifest. With each added piece of armour, the castle around her began to deplete; disappearing instantly in jagged pieces to reform perfectly around its caster. A full suit of plate made from crystal gently wrapped around her gown. The faulds layered upon her skirt to maintain a princess dress silhouette. She retrieved her staff from its pedestal and tapped it on the ground thrice. The staff contorted into a gold and sapphire halberd. Finally with an outstretched palm she conjured a shield of the same materials as her weapon. She marvelled at her perfect reflection in the mirror. A graceful battle princess stared back which made Shalazia feel ever so pretty.

She looked perfect, she would be a beautiful sight for her love…

The room then shook violently. Shalazia caught herself on a nearby table. From the gaps in the ceiling she saw the source of it all. Those wretched bugs were buzzing a little too close to her kingdom for comfort. Shalazia then incited a powerful incantation, the tongue of which spoke to very element of water no matter its current form. The castle around her began to stir… the Arcane Kingdom was slowly coming to life. At the last moment she ripped open a portal with her halberd and retreated back to the ritual chamber in the mountains.

The castle beneath them awakened, contorting its static form into a four legged bestial colossus. With shaky limbs it stood for the first time, part of it cracking open to reveal a twisting maw of icy fangs. Diabella signalled Silhouetta to ascend and conjure a lightning storm, she then charged forward on the back of Bismillah with Beelzebub in tow. The castle colossus lunged forward to swat them from the sky as it moved, Diabella saw her target; the slowly closing portal within an upper chamber. She knew she had one chance to leap into the colossus' maw to pass through it before it shut. The sky above rumbled with thunder, clouds darkening before unleashing a crescendo of lightning into the colossus. The frozen construct howled like the northern wind. Diabella leapt back mid-air to land on Beelzebub. Wings madly beating so she could get closer to the portal; narrowly manoeuvre between the layers of broken halls, chambers and corridors within the colossus.

At the last moment, Diabella leapt from Beelzebub, just in time to fall through the portal before it shut. Another lightning strike from Silhouetta allowed Beelzebub and Bismillah to retreat to a safe distance. The lumbering colossus was stunned temporarily…

* * *

However, while the castle had awoken early… the rest of the kingdom was catching up. The buildings and gilded streets slowly unhinged and built themselves into vague humanoid shapes. Their composition varied greatly on what they formed from, yet the city had turned itself into an army of faceless golems. They began to march towards the Malevolent Mires… the hate of their summoner willed them forward…

Mud and earth cracked asunder with each step of the mighty army. The golems were unlike the ones that attacked the Mushroom Kingdom. They appeared less composed, slowly falling into abstract machinations and faceless figures far removed from the familiar. The magic that powered them were weakening as they mindlessly lumbered. Some even stumbled in their stop only to rise again. An army of mindless frozen golems trudged towards Rhapsody. Amidst the lumbering steps skimmed a small hovercraft, manoeuvring and circled between each wavering limb.

Roy braced himself as they skimmed over another golem's sunken leg; causing their vehicle to shake erratically "Sure you know what you're doing?"

Scaramouch revved the hovercraft up another gear, boosting them further along at a higher speed "Plan's still the same, we're just working with a moving target now."

Waluigi appeared less perturbed by their ride, although that was an elaborate ruse. He was actually terrified of the magical mayhem around him. To remain calm, he said "So uh… how is this plan still the same?"

"I say we crash the castle." Roy smirked, getting on the same level as Scaramouch "If you crash into it, I'll grab you both and we can climb inside it."

Scaramouch nodded as she swerved through another tangle of icy golems; miraculously missing a collision. "I know it'll trash my ride, but… hey, these things can be rebuilt."

"Can't be too hard, it's probably got a vulnerable spot that glows at convenient moments to tell us to hit it. Usually three times does the job." Roy tapped a talon on his chin "Suspiciously like every single giant boss monster we ever face…" He then noticed Waluigi freeze up completely, his eyes wide with horror as he stared blankly ahead. Roy tapped him on the shoulder "Look, we get it. You're not the adventuring type, but relax. You're with us. We'll make sure you get back safely."

Waluigi sighed "Why should I trust either of you anyway? We're all going down in a frozen game over…"

"Look, my uncle seems to like hanging out with you and Wario, so… I'm not going to put directly in harm's way? If you end up in it, you did it yourself."

Waluigi rolled his eyes to sarcastically remark "Thanks, that sounds fantastic!"

Scaramouch added "Besides, you agreed to help. You could've just left and gone to Rogueport."

Waluigi admitted bluntly "I regret my decision. Any chance of turning around so I can warp home?"

"Nope. Here we go!" Scaramouch revved the engine a final time as she twisted around. The hovercraft was heading right for a supportive leg of the walking castle. Waluigi covered his face while Roy cheered with excitement.

Amazingly… Waluigi did not find his game over in that moment. He imagined he would awaken somewhere in the Underwhere because who was he kidding? He'd never be allowed in the Overthere. Instead he thrown over Roy's shoulder, amazingly not impaled on any of the Koopa's shell spikes. The hovercraft was a smouldering wreck bellow them, a massive crater was blasted into the castle's leg making the giant, moving monolith crash to the ground on its side. It flailed weakly with its other limbs but alas, it was too heavy to get upright again. Roy was now scaling the side of the castle, claws digging easily into the ice, as he ascended higher and higher to a gaping maw of open doors upon a balcony. Scaramouch perched on the back of his head, a few explosives tucked haphazardly into a satchel that was nearly as big as her. After a few moments, they made it to the balcony and entered the crippled colossus. The other golems marched on, leaving their kin behind without so much as a thought.

With the castle tipped over like a turtle, the architecture of the castle was warped to say the least. Less actual rooms, more organic lattice of webs and curves like the innards of an insect's nest. Roy carefully studied the drop below, noticing how most of the bridges and tendrils of swirling ice were too delicate to support them. One even cracked under his gaze and dropped into the darkness bellow. Amidst the shadows was a glowing icicle that appeared much thicker than the others. Roy was thankful that all suspicious things that needed to be struck always conveniently glowed brightly. He asked "Do we separate or continue as one?"

Scaramouch peered over his head into the abyss below "I know there's a glowing thing down there, but how do we know where your cousin is?"

"I reckon I can climb this, want me to scout ahead?" Waluigi offered after surveying the eeriness of the castle's innards.

"Yeah, probably won't be easy for us." Roy released Waluigi on a lower web of ice. He then remained still as the lanky electrician scaled the various arcs and curves of glaciers without fear. "You're pretty good at this."

Waluigi's voice echoed back "Part of the job, you need to be pretty good at going through stuff to fix wires." He carefully manoeuvred down the crystal organs of the golem. Although, it reminded him more of a wild forest that had been untouched since time immemorial. Delicate crystals would flitter out thin as spider's silk then weaved back into the thickness of trees. The single glow gently emanating down below reflected spectrums of red and purple light, illuminating the way downwards. If he wasn't in a monster's gut at that point in time, Waluigi may have described this place as beautiful.

Scaramouch's voice alerted him to his temporary partners in crime "I take it that Wario is not a good electrician."

"He knows how it works, but he's lazy and selfish and doesn't want to do anything for anyone."

Scaramouch sighed and rolled her eyes "And yet, you're still friends with him?"

"Yeah… I know right. But it's not so bad."

Roy bellowed "How far down are you now?"

"Near the glowing thing and yeah, looks like Bowser Junior is in there." Waluigi slumped down on a nearby branch of ice; he wiped the mist and condensation from the glowing nucleus to see the familiar silhouette. "Sort of like the thing powering this thing."

"Look out! We're on our way!" The sound of Roy cracking his knuckles and Scaramouch cackling madly echoed above him; Waluigi felt his blood turn colder… and not just because he was inside a giant, dormant ice monster.

The delicate crystalline forest of vessels and capillaries began to shake. Waluigi instinctively climbed atop the frozen nucleus as the delicate of web of ice began to fall around him in a violent blizzard. The rumbling grew then came a grand crescendo. He looked up to see the flames engulfing the heights of the chamber from detonated explosives. Roy was free falling, thrashing wildly to break the creature from the inside out. Scaramouch feel slower, behind him, her sack of bombs was empty now. The serene crystal forest shattered out of oblivion as quickly as it had formed.

A cold wind blew through the fields that night, the collapsed castle golem had remained motionless for too long. Strange lights flashed wildly within, finally erupting in a plume of fire and smoke that smashed through the golem's body from all angles.

The decimated husk of ice lay melting in that field. Three survivors and a frozen heart remained within the miniature snowfield created by the golem's eradication.

Waluigi complained, feeling that he was soaked from head to toe "My shoes are too squishy! I'm going to have so many blisters…"

Roy proudly admired his handiwork "That's one way to crash a castle." He knelt down to high-five Scaramouch "Nice work short stuff."

The Toad smirked back "You ain't so bad yourself. We ought to destroy more things together."

"I'm still amazed the brat is still on ice after all that." Roy picked up the icy prison of Bowser Junior, realising he greatly appreciated not having to put up with his younger cousin.

"Magnifico can unfreeze him back in Rhapsody."

"Oh, there's no rush."

"Speaking of Rhapsody," Waluigi wrung out his hat to remove some of the excess water "How are we getting back?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Scaramouch tilted her head "We're walking and dragging that icicle with us."

"Seriously?"

"You think this is the first time I trashed my ride and had to walk back?" She pointed in a general direction towards the mires "Now let's march!"

Roy chuckled as he positioned himself behind the frozen nucleus. He then prepared to push the giant hunk of ice of the sodden fields. Waluigi continued complaining loudly while Scaramouch led the way. All in all. Mission accomplished.


	5. So be it

The portal ended from her daring leap, however something was amiss. Diabella found herself in the inner ruins of the Thwomp Ruins; the decimated remains of her kingdom from long ago. This was merely a detour, Diabella knew this city even in its decrepit state. She could easily find her way to Shalazia's sanctum. A voice cried out in a lost language, the words were incomprehensible yet they burned, they froze, they riddled Diabella's body with so many types of pain that she was paralysed. She fell to the ground, immobilised and weak.

"All these years and you're still weak to the words of the Glitch." Shalazia stepped from the shadows with a smug grin "I won sister. I only needed to win once and I've done so." She frowned as she heard Diabella laugh "What is it? I'm about to send you away so you can't interfere."

Diabella stated, no panic, no despair, just stated calmly "You lost this game the second you started playing. The last piece of the star is lost. The Shadow Queen already has a champion and I cannot get a game over no matter what foul tricks you play."

Shalazia sneered "Lentinellus was right, you're just a god-modded coward who can't stand to lose!"

"No, you made me this way. You made me become your undoing. If only you killed me before I broke the Prism Star and set her free."

"Be gone you worthless glitch." Shalazia could still hear Diabella laugh as the skeletal hands and fires erupted to drag Diabella down into the depths of the Underwhere. With this distraction gone, she could return to her glorious victory heralded by modern idiocy.

They never even realised they were playing to Shalazia's game…

* * *

Loud rumbling groaned from behind the horizon. The city of Rhapsody fell the silent and still when the vibrations started. The quaking of the rippling water and the rattling of the steam powered city ushered their fears. Tips of icy golems rose above the treetops of the Malevolent Mires. Their sodden march slowed by the uneven and unforgiving terrain. Some of them sank into the darkness below before even reaching the inner swamps of the mires. Wendy kept an eye on all that unfolded from the hastily made watchtower near Diabella's laboratory, one of the highest points in town. Magnifico hovered nearby aboard a broom, nervously pacing in the air. The others were in position, the other Koopalings had scattered to the forward locations of the swamps and waiting in ambush with the insects. Daisy, Magnifico and Wendy remained with the townsfolk as the squares were prepped with runic charts to use at a moment's notice. Wendy couldn't tell if Roy, Waluigi and Scaramouch had succeeded in their task. She had bigger things to worry about right now.

Magnifico cringed at the sight of yet another golem sinking into the swamps. Wendy politely reminded her "One less mini-boss we have to fight."

"Yeah but… Diabella and Gallileo worked so hard to make the mires what they are." Magnifico sighed to herself "That sudden temperature change is going to mess up the ecosystem."

Wendy was a little puzzled by how anyone could value some swamp in the middle of nowhere. But she could understand disappointing those close to you so she reasoned "I think they'll forgive you if we keep the rest of it safe." She smirked "Think we'll get lucky and see everything sink before it gets here?"

"Probably not… I better fill everyone in on what's going down and tell everyone to stay put for now." Magnifico took her leave and flew back towards the main square.

Wendy kept giggling to herself as she watched golem after golem sink into the Malevolent Mire. She wondered how long it would be until they filled the swamp or finally worked out a different path to take. She also noted the series of glowing spots on their icy bodies. It never made any sense as to why giant imposing monsters had those, but at least it would be easy to identify a weak spot and attack accordingly once they finally arrived. "How are meant to know if Diabella has succeeded?"

Magnifico replied "She'll be back here."

"Has she done something like this before?"

"Yes. Diabella has actually fought with her sister many times in the past."

"But you don't like her chances this time?"

Magnifico reluctantly admitted after an awkward pause "No."

Wendy nervously suggested "Is it because we're all involved?"

"Yes." She bluntly remarked "Anytime those Star Children have anything to do with the game, things get very weird, very quickly." Magnifico then steered her broom back towards the town "I'll just be checking on the other towers. Stay vigilant."

Wendy waved one of her bracelets back at her, a reminder that this Koopaling could handle herself just fine. Yet casting an eye back to the slow march of ice golems was disturbing to say the least. All those mindless giants stomping blindly towards the mires like a horde of zombies. Then being swallowed by the dark, murky sludge that passed for water here. The Malevolent Mire was fighting back long before the golems reached any sentient opponent. Wendy made a note to speak with the castle architect back in the Koopa Kingdom, clearly they were not utilising their environment properly to deter intruders.

* * *

Ludwig's throat was raw and painful as he panted weakly. The accursed water he was bound to made him feeble, unable to focus his vision or move without pain. Such clever manipulation of magic, he never knew water could be so destructive, so leeching of one's energy. It was as though Shalazia's magic was influencing the fluids of one's body, altering the temperature or changing the viscosity to just make one's body function a little less efficiently. Then again, if he were somehow immortal he'd probably find new ways to use his magic too. He had to hand it to Shalazia, she certainly had a sick mind to devise such a spell.

Luigi appeared to be spared of the brunt of her magic, being the only one in there who was not frozen, brainwashed or weakened. In the time of Shalazia's absence, he carefully studied what he could of the chamber in the faint light of the torches. He couldn't recognise anything. The architecture and the script used on the runic circles predated any history book he had read. It made him wonder how accurate those books were; so many things were omitted or lost with too many details about recent years and not enough about the past. Perhaps if Shalazia wasn't malevolent, she may have helped historians learn of her time. Either way, this place unsettled him, it was too familiar to Dimento's foul schemes when the mysterious jester stole the awakened Chaos Heart and used Luigi as a catalyst for the spell to gain control of it. Things weren't quite the same since then… Luigi seldom spoke of it but he could hear strange whispers in his head sometimes. Those whispers encouraged his interest in the paranormal and magic of different eras. It frightened him that even with his knowledge, he had no idea what any of this meant or even what the Prism Star would do if it was reformed.

Fragile cracks shattered the air, Luigi turned to see Bowser's frozen body struggle against his constraints. He quickly said "Bowser! If you can hear me in there, keep fighting it!"

The layer of ice had melted into a thin shell thanks to Ludwig's efforts. Bowser continued moving little by little to break and crack his way out. However even when weakened, Shalazia's frost was much stronger than any of them had anticipated.

A stone wall clunked open abruptly sending a cloud of dust throughout the chamber; whether it was the ashes of the former kingdom or the result of no cleaning services for millennia was undecided. Either way, Luigi sneezed as it agitated his senses. From the newly formed hole came two figures, a Boo and a Shyguy, Steampunks who belonged to Rhapsody.

Fandango shuffled over to the ritual pool as fast as his stubby legs could take him "Ludwig!"

He growled back "Still alive, get me out of here."

"I'll see what I can do about these runes." Fandango knelt down in the pond to tend to the strange stones and tiles embedded in it.

"Good, everyone is still technically alive." Gallileo remarked as she circled around the main ritual podium. She nodded at Bowser "Come on! A big Dragon Koopa like you can do it! I know you can. Then you can use your fire to free the others" She then carefully studied Peach and Wario, their faces frozen in states of terror "Oh dear…" then saw Mario standing like a zombie in his place, overcome by the blight of frost. She quickly floated around the room, tapping on stone tiles and slightly shifting movable sections of the supporting columns that Luigi hadn't even noticed. It was like she knew every secret, every piece and trick of this chamber. The magic dissipated from Ludwig allowing him to move freely. The ether of the air relaxed as the magic at play weakened to a lazy lull rather than a gathering storm. She glanced to Luigi who was trembling at the sight of the Boo "I know it looks bad, but this is fixable. All of this is fixable! How long has it been since Shalazia left?"

Luigi could not muster an answer, despite everything he was faced with in that moment, the sight of a Boo turned his mind and legs to jelly.

"Enough for me to come back." Gallileo paused and turned to see Shalazia emerge from the teleportation pool. Shalazia looked rather banged up and scratched like she had been caught in a fight beforehand. "Just Astrapi meddling again, but I gave her the slip in the warp. Now Gaia… what is the meaning of this? How dare you trespass! This is **my chamber**!"

Gallileo grew indignant, fangs gnashing as she snapped "Shalazia, this is the Theatre of Earth and Water! It belongs to both of us!"

"No, not since you stopped being human."

"Because you killed me and this was only way I could return." Gallileo shiftily noticed Bowser was close to freeing himself, she floated backwards, taunting Shalazia to approach. She answered to Luigi "Did my sister not mention that she murdered her family for the whims of a selfish king?"

Shalazia snapped "Do not speak of Lentinellus like that!"

"He's a cheat, he broke everything and turned nations against one another. He robbed the sky of stars and created a new world, a new game, out of greed and classism. The first monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom was nothing more than a pretty monster who threw a tantrum when he couldn't get what he wanted."

"Shut up Gaia! Always thinking you're so smart because you're the Archivist! You're just a nerd who reads too much!"

"Was the Archivist, **was!** Shalazia. Our kingdom no longer stands so how can we **be anything**? The game we belonged to is long gone now. If only you could find happiness and a new purpose instead of refusing to change… maybe… maybe Diabella and Fandango could forgive you. Have you not been getting all those self-help books I've sent you?"

"Yes and they are wrong! There is nothing wrong with my life or attitude. If Astrapi and Floga are so displeased, why don't they let themselves be known? Oh yes, because I shattered them beyond existence and I'll happily do the same to you again, if you get in my way." The crack of ice alerted Shalazia to Bowser, turning moment before his claw could rip her pretty face off. With a flick of her wrist she hindered him enough, covering his arm in ice so she could step out of the hit. She then looked around to see Ludwig and Luigi had been alert this whole time and surmised what they had done. "Perhaps I underestimated you all. Best get this conjuring out of the way." She stormed to the centre, swatting Gallileo out of the way.

Ludwig had seen how agitated Fandango had become since Shalazia reappeared. He wanted to call out, to stop him from reacting as he erupted with ancient rage. Fandango ran out of the shadows brandishing a fallen flagpole "Don't touch my sister!" He dared to strike Shalazia only to be swatted away with a smack of her spear.

Shalazia tutted to Fandango as he flailed into the distance of the chamber and smacked against the wall "Oh Floga… so hot tempered… so unstable… so explosive… just like your magic. No wonder I couldn't harvest it from you." With a wave of her hand the waters of the ritual pools contorted and trapped Gallileo and Fandango in impenetrable bubbles. She levitated them so they could watch her moment of triumph as she began to illuminate the sacrificial altar with unknown magic "Now both of you shut up and know your places! You are beneath humans now, you don't get to judge me."

Luigi and Bowser struggled in vain, the runes were crackling with splashes of vibrant colours. The deluge of magic was swelling and bubbling to the surface; overflowing the chamber in glorious waves of harlequin magic. Shalazia stood in the centre of it all, pieces of the Prism Star floating before her grasp. Luigi then noticed something amiss, he counter the pieces, imagined how it would fit… he then realised one piece was missing.

"And you're an idiot who based their life around pleasing another person rather than doing your duty as a leader!" Fandango flailed wildly against the bubble "Seriously, you were the Enchanter! You were meant to use your knowledge to make magic accessible to the masses! To make everyone's lives better with your ingenuity! And you failed, sister! You failed miserably!"

"Don't say that!" Gallileo piped up, she appeared calmer, less flighty than her cursed brother "I don't know why Shalazia fell in love with Lentinellus… but it is too far to call her that."

"No, I know you're the brightest of us all Gaia, but I cannot forgive this." Fandango glared down at Shalazia "It's not like you were a love struck teenager, you were old enough to make your own, informed decisions… and you chose wrong."

Shalazia smiled insanely as the pieces of the star began to migrate and fuse together as one "Silence! Once the Prism Star is reformed I will enslave the Shadow Queen to my bidding! That is the truth of this relic! Then I will finally be all powerful! All knowing! I will be able to prove my love to Lentinellus!"

Fandango snapped "That was your plan all along!? Or did you just realise this as you started casting it?"

Gallileo was shocked "Oh dear… it seems to have been a futile one… that's not how the Prism Star works…"

Luigi could feel the magic pulsing through him as shockwaves. He could see the ice cracking and fracturing around Bowser, Wario, Peach… even Mario was flailing wildly. The foul magic grew in intensity, surmounting into a blast of shimmering light. When his vision returned and the pain stopped, he realised the ritual hadn't killed him as Shalazia planned. Instead, Shalazia stood in the centre of the chamber in blank astonishment. Her entire body had crystallised yet still moved organically. She gazed with uncertainty at her new hands, completely unaware that her captives were free of her magic.

"Ow… what happened? Where am I?" Wario rubbed his head then noticed Shalazia "Wait a minute! What did you do to me!? How dare you mess with my feelings like that!?"

"The book! That horrible picture… I… I…" Peach realised the audience in that strange chamber, she looked to Luigi "Did Shalazia use some weird ritual and try to sacrifice us?" He nodded back, Peach let out a sigh "Daisy was right, she was up to no good."

Mario tossed the broken remains of the star badge away from him, the twisted remains of the offending relic shattered on the stone beneath the altar. Colour and warmth had returned to him as he surveyed the chamber with horror and confusion. Luigi and Peach immediately engulfed him in a hug, happy to see him alive.

"Ludwig…" Bowser jumped down from the altar and went to the imprisoned Koopaling. He shattered what remained of the stone columns surrounding the pool to weaken the magic flowing through it. "Still alive?"

Ludwig growled back as he weakly stumbled through the water towards his uncle "Barely."

Bowser smirked "You're a Koopa, it'll take more than that to finish you off."

"So… if the Prism Star failed to reform… then what happened to her?" Fandango jumped back up to the altar to see the horrified, yet living state of his sister.

Gallileo floated around Shalazia "It appears to have fused with her… fascinating… I have no idea what it means, but it's fascinating." She looked to the others "Alright, let's try to figure out a safe way to go. I'm sorry you had to see this family drama bu-"

"NO!" screamed Shalazia, the venom in her voice echoed with hate and rattled the very existence of the chamber and all who stood within it. "This is NOT OVER!" She turned in Bowser and Ludwig's direction "If the Prism Star has failed, I will still have my shadow magic!"

Mario and Luigi immediately readied to fight her, the folds of her skirt twisted and contorted like water to echo waves of piercing crystals from her. The chamber became engulfed in spiked gemstones that barred passage to the plumbers. The floor began to shake as things began to grow from the crystals. The surface of the gemstones bubbled and hissed as they birthed abominable golems; all uneven and jagged with far too many limbs to be logical. They were skittering creatures of crystal that made no sense and glitched awkwardly; frantically changing from moving in slow motion to lightning speeds. The cries they made through non-existent mouths would haunt Luigi more than any ghost. Their priorities changed as Mario and Luigi gestured Peach to hide behind them. Wario seemed to have less reservation as he started flailing wildly and punching any crystal monster that got close. Fandango and Gallileo kept near him for protection.

As the chamber erupted into chaos, Shalazia descended, the skirt of her dress had melded into too many legs that ended in hands that skittered and carried her towards Bowser. "You're in my way." She leered at him as he stood between her and Ludwig.

Bowser growled defiantly "You're not taking my nephew."

Shalazia tilted her head at an angle that break someone's new, her eyes narrowed as she remarked "So be it…"


	6. We got a plan, maybe?

The lance of strange, crystal magic narrowly missed Bowser's face as he ducked out of the way in the nick of time. As a final boss, he'd seen his fair share of dramatic fights whose outcome would determine the fate of the game world. But this was different… Shalazia was aiming for either his head or heart with every strike and she was relentless. The skirt of her dress had elongated into a tangle of tentacles that allowed her to attack and skitter about all surfaces of chamber with ease. Bowser was mostly on the defensive, dodging every wild stab and swipe from Shalazia while trying to surmise a plan of attack. Her only weak point would be her vaguely human upper body riding atop this strange crystal cephalopod. He hadn't yet ascertained whether he could climb the tentacles to reach her as the crystal was neither a solid, liquid or gas, it just **was** … he didn't know what it was and wasn't keen on finding out on a whim.

To distract her, Bowser unleashed a rapid burst of multiple fireballs that bounced and kicked about the summoning chamber. The flames appeared to be more of an annoyance as she coldly swatted them out. One exploded against Shalazia's head, she merely glared back at him with the hatred of a demon. As Bowser stepped back, he realised the crystals in the chamber were growing. They matured organically and began to cluster and creep over every surface like fungus. Bowser saw how the cloak of tiny crystal fragments was encroaching on Ludwig; his nephew was too weak to oppose them. Immediately, Bowser changed focus as he grabbed Ludwig, shattering the crystal infection and tucking him under his arm to resume fighting.

"Oh…" Shalazia cooed, her voice now rasped in a metallic tone "How kind of you to bring my prize to me."

Bowser didn't talk back, he just let out another barrage of fireballs while he kept her ire. As long as he could distract her, maybe the others would figure something out. After all, Mario always seemed to figure a way to save the day no matter how dire it became. Bowser had to trust that the plumber could do something. So for now, he fought, he defended, he generally lured Shalazia to the other side of the chamber so she couldn't see what the others were up to. With each movement, Shalazia was becoming more unstable, erratically alternating between smooth animations and pixelated staggering.

Wario smashed yet another skittering, crystal mass of legs away from him. The polygon gems were oddly warm to touch and hard to comprehend. He had no idea how to understand where the head or even an eye was on these things. They just spawned on mass from the encroaching crystals without fail. Every time he knocked one back, forcing it to evaporate into a mess of pixels and light then to nothingness, another two appeared.

"Alright, level with me…" Fandango remarked, alerting Wario that the mysterious Boo and Shy Guy were still near him and using him as a meat shield. "When you brought me the designs for the Prism Star and lists of where to find materials and create it… where in the archives did you find this knowledge?"

Gallileo shrugged "The basement section no one wants to talk about… I was doing a burning of all the corrupted and cursed texts because only an idiot would keep that stuff around."

Fandango continued to study the creatures as Wario fought through them "And… what exactly was the point of the design?"

"The theory is that you create a glitch, a way of rendering something beyond the logic of the game or reality. The Prism Star was basically the ultimate prison because whatever you put in there, can't get out."

"Because it's been rendered into a glitch and was ultimately a data error to the game, I get it despite your silly metaphor. It's why we could put the Shadow Queen in there to stop her from wrecking up the place and how we were able to build that magic door powered by the test stars we made."

"Which technically became her prison at a later date so it still upheld its original purpose."

"Wait a minute…" Wario looked over his shoulder at the pair "How old are you guys anyway?"

Gallileo pointed behind him "Duck!" Wario followed instruction and countered with an uppercut to the top most growth of the polygonal mess attempting to strike him. Gallileo then answered "We're very old, but we came back through different cheats of the game."

Wario growled back "Alright, brainiacs, you made this mess, how are you going to fix it?"

"We don't know… we've never seen anyone fuse with the Prism Star, let alone an incomplete Prism Star. It's just meant to be like a box or a treasure chest."

"From the sounds of it, even I wouldn't want to open that treasure chest… but an ornate gem with the Shadow Queen inside would be pretty cool to show off at dinner parties so I'd still steal it."

"That's it! The Shadow Queen!" Fandango cheered as the idea struck him "The only thing that could be equal would be the power of the Shadow Queen! So we just have to summon her and she'll take care of it!"

"What do you mean equal? She got stuck in a shiny gem!" Wario laughed "But… given how impressive that Prism Star is… I'd do the same."

"She got trapped in it, but her powers never diminished. She was just kept contained… you're right!" Gallileo tapped Fandango on the head "Oh wait, we don't know where she is and we can't even think of summoning her because **someone opened the Thousand Year Door like an irresponsible idiot and Diabella is a no show**!"

Fandango nodded wisely "True… wait, what about the Champion of the Shadow Queen? Would that work?"

"HOW!? She's in the Underwhere being watched over by Queen Jaydes!"

Wario snapped back "You know what, I don't care how you do it! We just need a plan you tiny idiots!" He punched a few of Shalazia's spawn for good measure "I'll fight them off, you idiots come up with a plan to fix your mess!"

Fandango and Gallileo studied the chamber's surroundings; they noticed a runic circle on the opposite side to mirror the one that had imprisoned Ludwig. Frustratingly it was right near where Bowser and Shalazia were fighting. Wario followed their line of sight "You want to go over there, huh? Right next to the crazy princess and the Koopa King?"

Gallileo remarked "Yeah, the circle of this side is attuned to water whereas that one over there is for earth… maybe we can open a warp point using the earth one?"

"If you can do it, why not?" Fandango wisely nodded "We retreat and live another day or die horribly… again."

"Again? Yeah, I'm not keen on doing it a first time." Wario laughed "Nothing wrong with running away, it's how you steal the most stuff."

"But I thought you mostly ended up fighting ancient curses instead of actually stealing stuff… well that's what Syrup told me."

"Shut up and stay close, you tiny idiots!" Wario bounded through the melee with Fandango and Gallileo in tow. Waves of spawning crystal abominations were sent flying in a glorious explosion of light as they made their way to the desired runic circle.

Luigi was distracted by the cacophony of those horrific, muffled screams of the polygon gems. He watched in awe as Wario charged ahead, was he going to interfere with the fight between Shalazia and Bowser? Was he really that headstrong? Luigi remained by Peach to protect her while Mario fought off the bulk of the onslaught. The three of them were so small compared to Bowser and Wario, they couldn't just plough through everything on a whim like they could. From their corner of the ritual chamber, Luigi noticed three main crystal pillars that were the source of Shalazia's corruption. They were large, jutting out amidst the creeping gemstone floor and any spawn that emerged started their journey near one of them. Luigi then had an idea, waving to Mario to get his attention then pointing at the large crystals.

Peach commented, following Luigi's gestures and interpreting his plan "They're giant, how are we meant to bring them down?" She noticed his surprise "Well… we can't exactly leave them to spawn for all eternity. That'll have huge consequences for every kingdom!"

"Yeah… you're right." Luigi nervously answered "But as to how we bring them down, no idea… I was hoping maybe you two would have a clue."

Mario informed "I was thinking of maybe just hitting it really hard and see what would happen."

"Okay, let's try that… it's all we got really."

Given that charging onwards wasn't an option, the trio instead took to jumping from obstacle to obstacle. The skittering minions panicked as their opponents leapt out of their reach; madly crawling over one another to even try catching Mario, Luigi and Peach as they bounded across the chamber. Two of which were hit squarely in their uppermost growths or what could be understood as a head by two pink high heeled shoes. Liberated from her heels, which were fantastic for being royal but not so great for adventures, Peach quickly caught up with Mario and Luigi as they each landed on a separate crystal pillar.

Mario was the first to make a fist and smash the crystal pillar. The odd thing resounded with a tune and shivered with annoyance. He then struck it again, noticing a flurry of light within it from the point of the strike. Luigi followed suit, trying to understand how they functioned by hitting them randomly. Peach carefully watched the lights that resulted from the pillars being struck. She then patted the one she was standing atop, noticing how any contact regardless of strength elicited the same glow. She then noticed the light appeared focused at one point of the pillar, conveniently right near her skirt. Peach undid one of her earrings to procure a sharp edge, the crystal wasn't overly solid like ice so it was worth a shot. She pushed the small metal spike of her earring into the point where the light emanated. In an instant the pillar trembled to spasm out of existence erratically.

Peach probably did not think this through as she tumbled towards the floor below. Luckily her descent was stopped as Mario leapt to her aid and caught her. Once she was safely on the sacrificial podium, she handed Mario her earring and said "When you hit the pillar, look for where the light starts, then use this to pierce it."

Mario smiled back at her, a reassuring sign that maybe everything was going to work out. "Thanks princess, I'll get to it right away!"

Peach remained away from the remaining crystal spawn while Mario went to assist Luigi with destroying the two remaining pillars.

* * *

The flames cleared as pixel by pixel, Diabella felt her body reform in every excruciating detail. Once again she was met by the all too familiar dismal cavern that at the same time, felt like various stones and onyx floating in a sea of night. It stretched out beyond the horizon in the endless void. That same haze hung in the air and obscured the jagged structures in the distance. The few plants were nightmarish and angular, defying all sense as they varied in shades of red and purple. The sky overhead changed erratically with vivid shades of blue and violet, like the colours were trapped in a vicious conflict. Amidst the darkness were streams of amber and gold that wavered like water.

She marched down a cobbled path leading to a ghoulish courtyard. A fountain spraying amber liquid resided in its centre. Shaydes, strange spectres made of geometric shapes and with identical faces, floated around aimlessly and prattled on about how they died. Upon approach she saw giant demonic creatures dressed in fine suits strolling amidst the ghosts, Queen Jaydes beloved D-men. The air turned cold which was unusual for the Underwhere, the D-men saw her and immediately dropped all their newspapers and briefcases.

One of the burliest of the D-men dared to speak "YOU AGAIN!? Seriously!? You know what, just go, we're not going to stop you. We always end up losing too many of us when we try to fight you."

Diabella darkly replied "Glad to see you learned from last time, took you long enough."

"Just get out here, Warlord Astrapi! We know who you herald, we know everything."

"Then shut up. I'm busy." She growled back then started her descent through the wild crags infected with crystals that were slowly encroaching towards the upper levels of the Underwhere with each passing day. The path would twist and turn all the way down to the ocean of night and amber. She had to return to the Well of Souls to stop Shalazia's game and as Diabella descended into the crystal caverns of the Underwhere, she knew the Onyx Witch could sense and hear her. To save time, Diabella only offered a single explanation "My sister is going to kill your son and your brother."

The depths of the Underwhere shook with fury, she had heard Diabella.


	7. A rather unfortunate turn of events

Through flames and slashing talons, Shalazia manoeuvred awkwardly over the ruins. Even with multiple limbs at her disposal, it was hard to keep balanced in the fight. Something was wrong with that overgrown turtle, there was a wildness in his eyes that had been absent before now. Then again, what else would she expect from any kind of Koopa? They were little better than monsters as far as she cared, and like any monster she had every right to defeat it in combat. Shalazia ducked and dodged wildly as Bowser kept lunging and clawing at her like a savage beast. In the mess of it all she realised he had dropped Ludwig somewhere.

"Enough!" Shalazia snarled at Bowser, she felt her crystallised form twist and contort to ensnare her opponent. She lifted him with ease and growled "Where is he!?"

Bowser struggled against the tendrils choking the life out of him. It felt that wherever they touched they were leaching all his strength. His answer was to breathe fire in her face.

Shalazia spluttered and coughed as the flames rolled over her, more of an inconvenience rather than anything painful. However it had caused enough of a distraction that she didn't even see the following sneak attack. The red plumber had darted among the ruins and was now about to smash her in the face with his fist. She swerved her monstrous form to avoid the attack only to be met with Wario's fist. The sudden impact swayed her, forcing her to drop Bowser.

"You alright?" Mario called as he joined Bowser. Wario was frantically leaping, punching and kicking to distract Shalazia from them as he led her to the central podium again.

The Koopa King growled "I had her! …but thanks anyway."

"This is getting worse, the others are trying to figure a way out of here."

Bowser glanced to the edge of the chamber where Gallileo and Fandango were mulling over another runic circle. Opposite them were Peach and Luigi, who were tending to a disorientated Ludwig. He warned carefully "Don't let her grab you, it's like she absorbs your strength."

Mario nodded back "I suspected as much, Ludwig's not looking too good after all… and who knows how long he was subjected to her magic."

"Anyway, can't let Wario steal all the glory." Bowser dusted himself off and charged back towards the boss fight.

Wario was a surprisingly agile opponent, he darted between the deluge of raining crystal spears to bound up the side of her monstrous form. He'd then mockingly punch her and bound back to safety to begin another similar pattern of attack. At this point Shalazia found her form to be too weak, she was not used to commanding such a giant form and she was making simple mistakes. One of such was leaving herself open to a back attack, she cried out as something smashed into her back. She looked up just to see a giant, spiked shell spin past. It rebounded off Wario's kick and mowed through half of her legs causing her to collapse in a heap.

Shalazia began to panic, these dim-witted heroes were teaming together against her and where were her legions of pixelated minions!? The spawning towers had collapsed and she had little time to risk conjuring more. Had her intelligence lied to her? These idiots were assumed to be enemies so why would they be helping each other!? In frustration she let out a howling pixelated squeal.

Everyone instinctively covered their ears at the echoing cry coming from Shalazia. Peach nervously gazed upon her and felt pity for the broken princess of the Arcane Kingdom. She then noticed Ludwig weakly gesturing to her and Luigi to join the fight while he hobbled over to Fandango and Gallileo.

Luigi remarked nervously as he came to his brother's side "So I take it that we're going to be fighting rather crazily, like in those weird dreams with the floating hands and all those other people that seem really familiar but we have no idea who they were."

Mario snapped his fingers "Yes, exactly like that. We need to go that level of crazy."

Wario interjected "Wait, you guys had that same dream too!?"

"Yes, it was very weird and awkward and I still don't know how to feel about it." Bowser shook his head and folded his arms "I kind of feel like I need to get the contact details of that giant, boar monster guy with the red hair and dark skin but I can't remember his name."

Peach shook her head "Please don't."

Wario then pointed to Shalazia "On another note… what is going on with her?"

They collectively watched in horror as Shalazia continued to screech erratically. More arms, more legs, more eyes and mouths erupted from her disfigured body. The skeletal frame of wings emerged from what they assumed to be her back as they danced with pixelated miasma. The faint traces of her human form had been torn asunder by the polygonal mess she had become. The remains of her face were still concentrated at the head of this horrific, shimmering beast, only now they moved between cackling insanely and weeping inconsolably.

Fandango dumbly remarked "Wow… Gaia I think you went a little crazy with the design of the Prism Star. I've never this level of abstraction in magic before…"

Gallileo continued sliding panels in the floor to rearrange the runes "All the more reason to get in touch with the one person who wasn't broken by being trapped in it."

"Perhaps a beacon of darkness needs a spell of that element in play." Ludwig offered, wincing as he knelt down to Gallileo's level. He helped finish shifting the runes then chanted to himself softly in a long forgotten language. The runes ignited then dimmed with inky blackness as they began to twirl like the combination lock of a safe. The space within the ring began to collapse in itself finally erupting in a vortex or spiralling darkness.

Mario couldn't believe it as he saw the pillar of shadows engulf a third of the chamber "What now!?"

Bowser stamped his feet "Ludwig! STOP PLAYING WITH SHADOW MAGIC!"

"Wait a minute… something is coming out of it!?" Peach nearly fell back as she same something moving within the vortex.

The first to emerge was Diabella who was more unimpressed rather than horrified by the state of the chamber and her sister. She sighed to herself "Shalazia… I told you not to reform the Prism Star, but no, you didn't want to listen, did you?" She pulled off one of her gloves to reveal a crystallised hand "You knew what you were in for when I showed you this a few centuries back!"

Shalazia growled then turned to face her sibling with a cold, seething rage "I thought that was because you're not good with magic."

"True, but even I could see that your obsession with the Prism Star was not going to end well." Diabella attempted a different way of reasoning with her sister "Shalazia… we don't need to do this. You have nothing to prove to Lentinellus and I don't get why you're so obsessed with him. Please just stop all of this. Let these bystanders go home so we don't ever bother them again. We can just talk and work things out from there. I'm sure you'll be welcome in Rhapsody, even as a giant crystallised creature. We don't judge."

"Oh dear sister, I don't think you have any right to comment on my choice in men." Shalazia's brow furrowed like someone was urinating in public "After all, you loved Agaricus… you loved that short, fat, ugly, albino hack of a magician or was he a painter? I don't know or care!? With a pointy tooth that stuck out of his mouth and that ghastly cackle. Come now, he didn't even lose weight until you were dead."

"Is now really the best time to bring this up? I mean with everything… right, fine, you want to talk about this, fine." Diabella blankly replied "That was because he was worshipping the Dark Star and the Dark Star… takes a lot from you so you end up really physically sick by the end of it." She tried to give her sister a last chance to see reason "What about Agaricus? What are you trying to say?"

"That because you loved that repulsive, fat, disgusting, useless, slob of a man that you have no right to comment on matters of the heart when clearly yours is so misaligned. There's no way you could ever understand my love for Lentinellus when your ideal man is so warped and ugly."

"You did not just say that." Peach warily commented, seeing the rage build in Diabella's face as she grit her teeth.

Gallileo sighed "That is a low blow. Even for you, Shalazia."

Ludwig growled "You do realise you've literally become a giant crystal horror beyond comprehension for that guy."

Fandango nodded wisely "I know, no one should make that change for someone else. You should be doing it because you want to."

Diabella shook her hands but found herself unable to keep calm. Instantly she lunged forward, bounding over all manner of fallen crystals and ruins with ease, clambering up Shalazia's twisted form to meet her face to face in a matter of seconds. Diabella then clenched a fist and smashed her sister right in the face… then did again… and again… and again… while cursing her sister in a stream of rage filled gibberish.

Wario tilted his head as he watched with mesmerised curiosity "This is brutal… even by my standards."

Bowser nervously chuckled "She is not getting tired or losing her balance at all… it's impressive."

"So… your sister and this Agaricus guy…" Luigi glanced over to Gallileo and Fandango for answers. The pillar of darkness didn't appear to be receding any time soon.

Fandango laughed and announced "Let's put it this way, if things hadn't gone crazy in the Era of Ire, they would've been married."

Gallileo added as she floated towards them, guiding Ludwig and Fandango away from the mysteriously unstable portal they had just ripped open. "They were very much in love with and dedicated to each other."

"Give her one from me!" Peach exclaimed a little too enthusiastically, she noticed the eyes of her companions fall on her. She shrugged "I have faced similarly cruel comments for my choice in wanting to be with Mario… but I've never been one to erupt like that so… I feel for her… alright."

While all were distracted, the one conjured from the Underwhere had finally arrived. It was a female Koopa, probably taller than Bowser but much lither and leaner. Her body was more serpentine than dragon as it was slender yet muscular. It curved in the vague form of an hourglass to denote her femininity. Yet she still looked terrifying with her menacing talons and claws. A large armoured spiked shell was perched on her shoulders and followed down her spine. It appeared that she had some sort of horned head dress on that divided into tails of false dreadlocks and plumage. Her whole form writhed with shadowy energy, occasionally swirling with violet and red runes. It trailed behind her, giving the illusion of the trail of a gown.

Gemstone studded gold bracelets, armbands and necklace adorned her body. Her headdress was festooned with leather and gold plating bearing the same jewels. Her face was peculiar, a reduced snout to make it seem wider and she had three sharp fangs poking from her upper lip. Two smaller ones were in the corners of her mouth while one poked through in the middle. She narrowed her eyes framed with black ink, slit pupils adding to her intimidating appearance. She stalked forward as the darkness faded, all eyes fell upon her with curiosity while Diabella and Shalazia continued squabbling in the background.

Wario picked his nose casually "And she is? Well, I'm guessing she's a big deal because we've all dramatically stopped what we're doing."

Gallileo bowed to her then announced "This is Lucia, the Champion of the Shadow Queen."

"In the Underwhere, they call her the Onyx Witch." Fandango dramatically bowed.

Ludwig added "My mother…"

Bowser nervously remarked "My older sister."

Peach was surprised by this revelation "You have siblings!?"

"Yeah…"

"How come you never mentioned it? I mean, we've known each other for ages!"

"You never asked so I didn't think it was important."

Lucia carefully surveyed the entirety of the chamber with a bored, dismissive face. She let out a dramatic sigh as she waved her hand to conjure darkness to do her bidding. The umbral talons lashed out to pry Diabella off Shalazia until she hovered face to face with Lucia. "She bad mouthed Agaricus, right?"

Diabella pouted "Yes. It was very much uncalled for."

"Right, well, you have a little time out and calm down, you're no good when you're angry." Lucia turned her attention to Shalazia "And you, look, nice mutation into a horrific monster, great body horror. I almost envy you, but really, did you need to make such a spectacle of it?"

Shalazia fumbled over herself in a sense of whimsy and terror "That power… that aura… you're… are you really the-"

"Yes, your sister was never lying when she said the role of champion had already been taken." As she spoke, Lucia stepped forward to close the gap between her and Shalazia.

Shalazia edged backwards "Then… why are you here?"

"At first I was going to just tell everyone to calm down and do damage control… but, you actively hunted my son." Lucia counted the offences on her claws "Then you disrespect the powerful artefact your sister made all those years ago. Then you irresponsibly used magic beyond your control. Then you annoyed my idiot, little brother but hey… that happens a lot."

Bowser rebuked "I had this whole thing under control before you got here!"

"No you didn't. Why don't you go go-karting or something while I clean up this mess?"

With attention diverted from her, Shalazia found herself phasing out and fading to invisibility, another mysteriously new power from her merging with the Prism Star. She cackled as she vanished into the ether. "It doesn't matter what you are, I'm going to the Star Road to tell Lentinellus all about it and you'll all be sorry you messed with his true love."

Lucia rolled her eyes at Bowser "Well… great, now I have to hunt her. But the Star Road, we could get trouble there."

"I have an idea, but, we're going to need to get out of here first." Diabella offered as she finally freed herself from the shadow talons.

"Alright, you have an idea of where to warp?"

"Rhapsody, dead centre of the Malevolent Mires."

"Oh, I've always wanted to visit your little town." Lucia cracked her knuckles as her form blazed with shadows "Anyway, off we all go!"

The darkness flickered and whirled from Lucia to engulf everyone in that chamber. All senses were snuffed out in a wave of darkness.


	8. Party in Rhapsody

"FIRE!" Magnifico cried overhead from her broom.

Iggy, Lemmy and Larry finally muttered the final incantations to unleash the rain of fire upon the horizon. The advancing golems stumbled in their own slurry of melting bodies. Their giant forms were practically crawling masses of sludge at this point. Magnifico then followed through with a squad of Paratroopas and Lakitus to continue the attack with whatever objects they could enchant into weapons.

The trio of Koopalings stood atop one of the watch towers that had been hastily converted by the Bohemians into a runic turret to amplify magic. The flat wooden platform had been sloppily painted with patterns they hadn't seen before. Larry remarked as he was once against surprised that a bit of graffiti could make such a difference to their abilities "We need to install these back at the castle."

Iggy tilted his head "I think there may be a risk of exploding things if we write them wrong but… it's not like that's ever been a problem."

Lemmy studied their semi-fallen opponents "They seem to be falling back or melting into sludge and can't fight anymore… all in all, I think we're doing a good job."

Larry nonchalantly remarked "Yeah, I was at first really mad about being told to stay put in the city but… this rune tower duty is more fun than I expected."

Iggy wandered to the telescope set up on the edge to help with aiming their spells, while madly scanning the horizon he lamented "I wonder how the ground teams are going… I mean, what exactly are those golems doing to the ecosystem of the swamp? And the bugs! Oh, the bugs! I love the bugs! I hope they're all alright! Won't someone please think of the bugs!?"

"It's alright bro, the bugs will be fine. I'm sure." Larry sighed to himself, it felt so weird to actually know the truth of it all. He wasn't just a Koopaling anymore; he knew how and where he belonged in this family. There was something rather nice in that, even if everything else was erupting into pandemonium at that point in time.

Further ahead, leading the charge against the encroaching ice monsters were Morton and Wendy among the land teams. They had taken the reigns of large jumping spiders to better navigate the dangerous terrain. By now they had dismounted, allowing the spiders to join the fight alongside them. The sludgy remains of an ice golem towered over the tree line, it pitifully kept moving weakly despite its body collapsing around it. Morton saw the struggle of this creature and wondered what kind of leader would allow it to keep fighting. Not even Bowser resorted to such cruelty and he was generally the big boss of evil throughout all the lands.

He saw a weak spot in the golem, a thinned spire of ice feebly holding the upper and lower halves of its body in place. Before he could surmise how to climb up and smash it, a shimmering ring of gold light blazed through the sky and cut the golem down in a graceful strike. The golem crashed to the earth in pieces then oozed into the fetid waters. The golden ring flew with ease before returning to the talon of its owner. Morton noticed Wendy behind him looking rather smug about her fallen opponent.

"Nice throw… didn't realise you were that strong." Morton remarked"I always thought you were about magic and glitter and all that."

"Yeah, but, I still like smashing things." Wendy remarked casually "Girl's got to have hobbies you know."

He laughed to himself then surveyed the surroundings, the ice foes were practically fumbling over themselves and being finished off with ease by the bohemian forces. "Maybe whoever's controlling these things has lost interest?"

"Then where has their interest gone… this is weird. They looked so much scarier when they were marching towards us…"

"Now they're just sludgy puddles… what a horrible transformation."

"Yeah, almost like how a bunch of bohemians who just party all the time are oddly very good at organising themselves for combat."

Morton shrugged "But a lot of them look like defected soldiers or criminals from different kingdoms… they probably never forgot how to do all that stuff." He then noticed something lumbering towards them in the distance and called for silence with a raised claw. Wendy followed his lead and braced for the encroaching attack.

"Wendy!? Morton!? Is that you guys!?" Roy stomped his way forward as he shoved a large ice block over the mud and moss.

Scaramouch cackled by his side "Finally, some civilisation."

Waluigi complained "Can we get a lift? My feet are killing me!"

"Shouldn't be a problem, the spiders are out today and they're pretty friendly." Scaramouch wandered over to one of the giant arachnids. Its whole body was covered in fuzzy hair and patterned in all colours of the rainbow. Eight shimmering eyes stared back like a galaxy of stars. "And super cute! I love them all so much."

"You got anything else? Not that keen on bugs…"

"Well you're in the wrong part of the world for that."

"I know, right!?"

"We should probably head back and regroup now everything is so… gloopy." Wendy then snapped her fingers to get the attention of the spiders. "Maybe the others know more." She remarked as she mounted one of the arachnids. The eyes of her companions were upon her "What are you all waiting for? Come on, let's get out of here."

Scaramouch climbed atop the same spider Wendy was riding "Just super jealous I guess, the bugs don't listen to just **anyone** , you know."

"So they're like dogs?" Morton scratched his head "Or maybe puppies? They listen to whoever is in command?"

"No way, I'm the one in charge!" Roy tried a similar trick of snapping his fingers to get a spider to acknowledge him. The giant arachnid patted about on its tip-toes and proceeded to sit atop Bowser Jr's frozen prison to survey the landscape. Roy called to it "Oh come on! Please notice me! You're bright pink! I'm bright pink! We should be friends!"

Waluigi rolled his eyes at them "I don't think it cares."

While Wendy and Scaramouch rode ahead, Roy, Morton and Waluigi pondered how to transport Bowser Jr the rest of the way. All around them the golems finally stopped moving yet none were sure whether this meant a victory or that a greater threat was looming.

* * *

The centre of Rhapsody was devoid of life when Daisy returned. People had manoeuvred quickly as the icy threat encroached on the mire. Some disappeared into the watchtowers, some took to the sky while others advanced through the swamp. The actions of the people of Rhapsody made Daisy wonder if the people of Sarasaland would do the same if their homes were under attack. Given that the Malevolent Mires and the arid sands of Sarasaland were technically inhospitable and undesirable in terms of resources, she was always so surprised how people found a way to live and to live happily regardless of the odds against them. It made her wonder whether the verdant fields of the Mushroom Kingdom were really that desirable when life could still exist in all kinds of places.

Her musing was interrupted as the world around her shook. It was not a tremor or anything physical, it was like time had rippled in that moment. Daisy panicked as a second shake happened, for a second it was like an out of body experience where she could see herself in that square within the steam powered oasis in the mire. Then suddenly she was back in her own skin with little understanding of what was happening. Until she noticed a white line in the air, like something had cracked the delicate screen of reality. More quakes echoed through the surrounding, the crack growing and growing until it shattered open.

Darkness spilled forth to throw many figures out of nothingness. Daisy watched as the darkness parted to reveal her friends and technically enemies. With the portal closed and all returned to relative safety, Mario saw Diabella remain on the ground, he wondered to her side and offered a hand to help her up. He then paused, noticing that her clothing was damaged by the warp and that it revealed an abnormality in her hands and legs. Her hands were crystallised while her legs were missing, ending in metal stumps. He nervously said as he froze up at the sight of her "Sorry… it's just… kind of confronting…"

"That's ok, why do you think I keep it all covered up." Diabella waved her hand before his face, "This what you get when you mess with the Prism Star, a chunk of it became part of me when I smashed that thing to pieces."

Luigi cheered "I knew one of those pieces was missing!"

Bowser shrugged "Sure it's dramatic, but it's not such a big deal."

"When did you see it?"

"In an epically awesome battle in the sky! That sadly no one thought to record and upload it to the internet."

Wario crudely reminded "If there are no pics, it didn't happen!"

"This on the other hand," Diabella raised one of her leg stumps "Three headed chain chomp."

Lucia reminded "Don't leave out the part that you lost each leg on separate occasions."

"How was I meant to know that **all** the chain chomps in the Underwhere have three heads until I visited a few times?"

Daisy remained frozen to the spot in shock and delight at seeing everyone alive and well. She felt the world move around her as others began to return to the square. The eruption of cheering and celebration as the bohemians saw that Diabella, Gallileo and Fandango had returned safely. The Koopalings running over to crash tackle Bowser and Ludwig. Waluigi and Wario performed an elaborate fist bump and knowing smirks upon reuniting. Peach and Mario for once were in the background but seemed to relish the chance as they held hands and shared sweet smiles. Finally Daisy's senses had returned, she followed the lead of the Koopalings as she ran to tackle and hug Luigi. In the tangle of crowds, Diabella and Gallileo studied its formations, they winked to each other knowingly before parting and meandering through the people.

"Whoa… whoa, whoa!? who is this?" Larry said as he skittered around Lucia. Iggy and Lemmy shared equal curiosity as they gazed at the mysterious Dragon Koopa.

"Let me guess, Franklyn's kids?" Lucia remarked as she studied the trio near her.

Bowser nodded back, arms folded over his chest proudly "He goes by Ziggy now. Bit of a thing because he tried to overthrow the kingdom with an army of giant robots and I thought he needed a clean break after all that."

"Always magnanimous, aren't you?" She then noticed Wendy, Roy and Morton "And I'm guessing those are Morton's kids."

Morton tilted his head "But I'm Morton?"

Bowser corrected him "You're Morton Jr, not Morton Sr."

"So who is this lady then?"

Wendy was ecstatic, finally exploding with enthusiasm "Does this mean lady Koopas get hair!? Finally! Does it come in later? Do I need to do something!?"

Lucia shook her head "No darling, we stay bald the whole time but that means you can accessorise as much as you want." She then bowed "I'm your Aunty Lucia by the way, Ludwig's mother and your uncle's older sister."

Roy connected the dots "And Ziggy or Franklyn and Morton Sr are your brothers then?"

Bowser nodded "Younger brothers, it's why I got the throne ahead of them."

"Well this is a weird family reunion…" Roy pouted as he sat on top of the still frozen Bowser Jr.

Bowser leaned over to get a better look at the strange ice block, finally screeching with flames glowing from his nostrils "Why is Junior frozen!? IGGY! What did you do this time!?"

"I can't take credit for that." Iggy feigned offence and dramatically gestured with his hands "Think it was that crazy princess in the castle outside here."

"Oh right, Shalazia! We still need to work out where she's fled." Lucia scanned the crowd and realised that Diabella and Gallileo had disappeared from the jubilant square. She also realised that Peach and Luigi were gone too. Although she saw a panicked figure flee into the distance while being pursued by a Boo. It was peculiar because Daisy and Mario didn't even seem to notice as they were swamped by excited bohemians. A band had kicked up and started to play, tables were set up, fire pits were ignited, it all made the square more chaotic with dancing and partying. It was near impossible whether they were missing or just somewhere in the celebrations.

Bowser looked to her expectantly "Something wrong? Yeah, Shalazia got away but… I think we can call this a victory. It turned out alright, yeah?"

"I don't think it's over yet."

"Why are you always so broody!? Can't you just lighten up for once, sis!? This looks like the start of an awesome party so just relax!" He growled "What's with that face!? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Lucia smirked "Just thinking how without a doubt, you were the best one to take the throne after dad. The Koopa Kingdom needed someone more… light-hearted if it was to progress into the modern age." She then excused herself "But I need to see Diabella now."

"Let me guess, sneaky Shadow Queen stuff because you're her champion and Diabella's the herald… whatever that means." Bowser rolled his eyes, growing tired of his sister's drama and melancholy.

Ludwig grew perplexed as he saw Lucia disappear again; instinctively he disappeared into the crowd to keep an eye on her actions. She may have been his mother, but Ludwig barely knew anything about her other than that she was dangerously powerful with questionable morals. He still felt like he needed to be mindful of her, that he could not be too trusting. He quietly skulked behind her as he trekked the path leading to Silhouetta's Lair. The panicked voices of Peach and Luigi were already echoing in those secluded ruins along with the cackle of Diabella and Gallileo.


	9. Clash of Queens

Peach found herself thrown onto the ancient ruins with softened thud. Moss and mould caked the stone with a spongey, verdant blanket. An equally wet thud squelched beside her as a pair of boots was thrown down. She slowly sat up, realising that Diabella was towering over her. She gestured to the boots "I noticed you lost your shoes so here's another pair. They look about your size."

"Thankyou," Peach gratefully accepted the leather boots and remarked as she laced them up "But you didn't need to drag me out here to give me some shoes."

"True, but I needed a moment of your time away from the others."

"Whatever for? What can't you say in front of the others?"

"I'll explain when my sister and the green one get here."

In the background Luigi was being herded towards them, followed by Gallileo who was doing her best to spook him. The inner sanctum of the catacombs was rarely visited by anyone other than the bugs that called the mires their home. An altar was buried among the primordial ooze that muddied the waters into a sludge so thick it was like walking on firm jelly. The ornate details of the chamber were eroded by time and ravaged by the thick, green lichen that crept from the sludge. Peach shivered, she could feel something ominous lurking beneath the viscous waters. All manner of insects started to skitter and gather, crawling from any opening imaginable in the ruins to congregate in their festering court.

Diabella raised her arm, making strange clicking noises with her mouth which made the water sickeningly churn. A flash of lightning followed by a primordial scream of thunder revealed a disturbing shape beneath the water as it churned with crackling electricity. Peach covered her face to avoid the splashing of the foul liquid. When she removed her hands, Luigi had been thrown to the altar beside her. The head of the slumbering behemoth beneath the waters had emerged. It was a truly colossal serpentine creature who dwarfed the chamber and all its occupants; suggesting the waters were far deeper below the surface. Lightning was channelled through its various limbs, some were giant elongated forewings and hindwings that suggested it could swim through the sky. The limbs towards the head were segmented and jagged, as it continued down the trail of its body the limbs resembled swirling branches that curled at random. Large openings in its exoskeleton exposed a translucent skin with organs writing within. Thick mist was emitted from them, creating unnatural clouds. The other limbs were studded with bioluminescent patterns that crackled with electricity. The head of the abomination had no true discernible face other than a maw that was lined with hooks and suckers. The closest thing that resembled eyes was a ring of glowing circles. More of the strange brittle branches trailed from its scolex like a crown.

The colossus lowered its head allowing Diabella to pet it gently, yet it did seem like a master and slave dynamic among beast masters. They appeared to be equals. Diabella then bowed to the other insects that had congregated there "Thankyou, all of you. I am so pleased that you went to aid of Rhapsody when it was needed." She smiled warmly as she heard the clicking of mandibles "Ah yes, I know I have the code in place, that you should help the people of Rhapsody as best you can, but I'm always so appreciative that you all chose to follow it."

Peach grit her teeth and spoke on behalf of her and the terrified Luigi "What is going on? I thought we were allies."

"We never really said we were," Diabella sighed "But I'll be honest with you, I actually hate the fact that you were tricked into playing this stupid game with us. I actually just wanted to go have a party and dance all night, maybe check out the comedy club at the Twisted Manor for another episode of 'stupid deaths'… but no, I can't… it's really annoying because I am so used to just chilling and doing my own thing and not getting involved with all this adventuring nonsense… but I have to tie up a loose end with Shalazia and now there's only one way to do it." She knelt down to Peach and Luigi's level "We need you for a small summoning ritual so we can plan how we're going to deal with Shalazia. We're at a loss because she's received a major power boost while Gallileo, Fandango and I are still stunted in that regard."

Gallileo chuckled "It's not going to hurt, much. It's just well…" she pointed to Peach "You were possessed by the Shadow Queen so we can use you as an anchor point, a signal for her to respond to." She then pointed to Luigi "And you are tied to the Chaos Heart, so hopefully by bringing the Shadow Queen here… we'll get her attention to."

Peach recoiled with terror "Why would you summon the Shadow Queen!? She's evil!"

"Not really, she's just the personification of darkness. We figured you wouldn't agree to come willingly so we had to grab you out of the party."

"So that is what you two were up to." Lucia announced as she waltzed into the ancient amphitheatre. She pouted with feigned offence "You could have at least told me."

Diabella shook her head "Lucia, this is a battle from the old world, it has nothing to do with you."

"I know, but I still want to observe what was possible in the old world." Lucia dusted off a smooth piece of the ruins and took a seat like an audience in waiting. "Besides, you dragged me out here to fight Shalazia so we need to work out the next move."

"True, but it feels like I need a power up of my own and there's only one kind of entity that can give me that."

Skulking in the background was Ludwig as he watched the scene unfold with trepidation. He tried his best to remain out of sight and fortunately the occupants of the ruins were more focused on the tasks at hand.

Gallileo was the one to begin the summoning; her whole body oozed ebon ectoplasm as she spoke in tongues lost to memory. She floated over Peach and Luigi to cast an ominous miasma over them. Her words were almost dripping from the ether as they pulsed through one's mind, body and soul. The answer to the call merely whispered into existence. The Shadow Queen was an unfathomably giant silhouette, vaguely female with a large gold and ruby studded crown adding to her towering stature. Her hair glistened like ribbons of starlight as she suddenly appeared in the chamber; shrinking down so she could study the strange, tiny creatures who had beckoned her. The ancient queen tittered at the sight of Peach "Oh… I've worn you before. Long time, no see." Peach tried to cower behind Luigi as the eldritch shadow loomed over them. Yet the Shadow Queen knew "And the one who bears the Chaos Heart… how delightful." She then pointed her face at Diabella "Why has my herald brought me such lovely gifts?"

Diabella casually remarked like she was speaking to an old friend rather than the queen of all evil in the world "Don't be coy, my dear. You know exactly what's been going down."

"So you used them to make an emergency call, what's the matter?"

"Hold on, we're still waiting for one more to join us."

At that moment another intruder emerged from the ether. This one's entrance was roared into existence by the fluttering of spirits and waves of shadows. Equally in size to the Shadow Queen, this queen was adorned by robes of spiked black and dark magenta. Her hair was violet mist that dragged on the ground behind her while her crown gleamed with unholy light. Her face was angular, sleek and uncaring. She looked at the forsaken ruins that had been screaming with forbidden powers and now could see why as she locked eyes with the Shadow Queen. A cold, calculating tone growled from her black lips "You… how dare you mess with the order of the game!?"

The Shadow Queen cackled "Hello Jaydes, odd to find you beyond the River Twygz. What's wrong? Did your precious little D-men forget your midday manicure?"

Queen Jaydes spat back "I'll have you know it is very difficult to keep watch of **every** game over in existence… and you just keep disturbing my work! It's insufferable."

"You need to lighten up, oh wait, you did and that's how I came into existence!" The Shadow Queen leered smugly "So tell me, Jaydes, did Grambi ever separate his negativity, his emotions and personality into a different entity like you did?"

"I cannot afford to be clouded by such childish things with my job."

"Childish? I am not childish, you upstart crow."

At that moment, Diabella gestured Luigi and Peach to retreat behind her so they were close to Lucia. Gallileo wafted behind, emanating the same mysteriously umbral ectoplasm. The two queens were so embroiled in their bickering; they did not see Diabella's trap snap shut. The wrath of the insect army was unleashed upon them. Lashing their limbs to their sides and coiling around them, dragging them down into the primordial ooze of the ancient chamber. The waters crackled with lightning as Silhouetta spiralled around them with ease. While incapacitated, they completely overlooked Diabella and Gallileo. Diabella stood at the edge of the platform, ensuring all were behind her as she spread her arms. Each of her crystal infected hands was pointed at one of the spectral queens while they pulsed with an unholy aura. The source of this aura was coming from Gallileo, who was continuing her accursed mantras behind them without ever losing focus. The two queens were brought to kneel before their mortal servant; having been stunned by Silhouetta it had left them open to the dangers of the Prism Star.

Queen Jaydes choked as she struggled against the force of the spell "But... why?"

The Shadow Queen hissed venom "How!? You can't even use magic!"

"Simple really, my beloved insects can produce electricity through the chemical reactions in their bodies. Water, particularly saline water, is highly conductive and you're both standing in it." Diabella smirked, staring down the ancient beings of primordial darkness "And while I cannot use magic… my dear sister, can. I am merely a conduit for her spell and given that I have a large piece of Prism Star in my body, I can subdue creatures like you, which was its intended purpose." She sighed "Does that make sense, your majesties?"

"Cunning, I like it." The Shadow Queen purred "I knew I had a good feeling when I chose you as my Herald."

Queen Jaydes spat "So what is your plan, you foul mortal!?"

Diabella nodded to them "It's simple, each of you presents us with your best bargain and we swear our allegiance to you."

"Our terms are as follows, we need to be restored to our original forms and have our magic returned to its original levels. Win or lose, we need this transformation in order to fight Shalazia. There are also four souls you need to find, Queen Belladonna, Darius the Decapitator, Thorne and Empress Scylla, bring them here and they will find their vessels. I need them here, they need to be here for closure of this sad tale." Diabella then stated "Also, my younger brother and sister need their human forms restored permanently. Seems fair given they were shattered beyond repair or recovery."

"That's it? That's all you want!?" The Shadow Queen pouted "Seems a little… basic."

"That's a good point, oh, you know that floating continent idea I proposed. Who can make that a reality? And no, I don't want the continent placed in some binary dimension to seal us away. It has to be in this reality. It has to change nothing about our capacity to interact with the game around us." Diabella laughed "Come on, surely you can adjust the build of a level?"

"Oh yeah, I remember that. That sounded like fun!"

"And that's it. That's all and I'm done. I know better than to bargain beyond reason and I know for a fact that these requests can be fulfilled by either of you… so who is it going to be?"

"No, I will not partake in this mess!" Queen Jaydes screeched and struggled against her living shackles "What you are suggesting is to break the natural order of the game!" She forced herself to stand proudly against her sly captor "I know your tale, Warlord… I see through you, you claim to want to end Shalazia but in reality she has merely revealed where Lentinellus is hiding… I can't help but wonder whether your youngest sister is merely playing you. Shalazia is a selfish, jilted lover… she knows you are a sleeping giant and she knows you're the only one who ever held any threat to Lentinellus. You're being played for a fool." She gestured to Peach "His descendent is right there, ruling over his kingdom and legacy and yet you have not cut her down. I'm surprised."

"But she is his descendent, not Lentinellus. What the Mushroom Kingdom is now, is a far cry from what it was in the Era of Ire. I can tell the difference, you know." Diabella thought on the matter as Queen Jaydes smugly grinned, thinking she had won. The victory was short lived by Diabella knowing smile and retort "Truth is, I hate that man. I hate everything he stands for and I hate everything he did to transform this game so I am finishing this of my own volition." She clenched her crystal hand, forcing Queen Jaydes to her knees in agony "Besides, where were you when his actions sent everything spiralling into chaos? Where were you when he stole the very stars, all hope and the power of wishes from everyone? Where were you when he tricked every kingdom into a foolish war fuelled on lies? Did you even notice his cruelty or did you just enjoy the influx of souls to the Underwhere? One may almost insinuate that you had a part in his ascension. That you supported his actions." Diabella saw Queen Jaydes sheepishly wither beneath her gaze "If anyone is the fool, it is you. You're nothing but a broken queen on a gaudy throne."

"As much as I love watching you rip apart my **weaker** other half," announced the Shadow Queen in a nonchalant tone "I will grant your request, I can restore you powers now, but it is temporary." The Shadow Queen warned "The memory of who you were will be undone if one of you respawns. As for restoring human forms permanently, I'm afraid it will not be perfect."

Diabella asked unflinching "How so?"

"You can live in human shape… but only as Dry Bones. There are physically not enough components to perfectly respawn a whole human. I will require a… reagent from you as Shalazia no longer has flesh or bones to bargain with."

"What will you need?"

"Your flesh and your organs."

"Very well," She looked to the other Queen with a smug grin "Any counter offer, Jaydes?"

"Absolutely not, you disgusting monster."

"That's a shame, you're always such a bore."

The Shadow Queen stood tall with a keen smile, with a snap of her taloned fingers darkness swept from her form to engulf Diabella, Gallileo and Fandango. In the swirling vortex of magic, four ghastly entities wafted from the maelstrom in search of their vessels.


	10. Awaken

The explosion of magic took Ludwig's breath away. Never before had he seen such majesty, such colour and life erupt from a spell. The darkness was alive and brimming with memories of all creatures, of all eras that spilled into existence. The wave passed over him as he heard the song of countless voices singing in unison. Some part of him felt like he knew that song too. The void belonged to all and all belonged to the void. His senses remained in disembodied turmoil as he heard panicked cries echo in his mind. It was like he could see everything in that moment. At that moment, four souls wavered through the ether. Their descendants, those who carried their bloodline, shimmered in their miasmic vision like beacons. Targeting each of them, they wafted towards their desired vessels and awoke in the modern world.

* * *

The sky became engulfed in a miasma of unnatural shadows. The umbral cloak was so dark it starved the light from the stars. Amidst it all wafted spirits like neon flames cast against the gloom. Mario and Daisy paused in their search for Peach and Luigi, stunned by the sudden change in the happy mood. Yet the members of Rhapsody did not tremble at the sight of the darkness, they merely continued to revel and celebrate its presence… like it was an ordinary sight to behold. A trio of spirit flames wafted uneasily overhead then finally plunged towards the crowd beneath them. Mario heard Daisy scream as one of the spirits engulfed her in its ectoplasmic light.

"Daisy!?" Mario tugged her from the levitating grasp of the netherworld "Daisy? Are you alright!? What happened?"

Daisy wearily blinked, her eyes had lost their usual sparkle as she coldly surveyed her surroundings. A strange ghostly shimmer now discoloured her eyes along with a change in her stance. She seemed almost taller now, prouder, like she was born to survey the chaos of a battlefield. Before Mario could try prompting further information, he found himself being lifted then slammed into a nearby wall by the scruff of his overalls.

Wario had grabbed him, the same unholy glimmer in his eyes as Daisy. Wario growled in a fierce warning "The likes of you are not even worthy of touching Queen Belladonna."

"Queen… Belladonna? Wario, what's going on?" Mario struggled against his grip.

He snarled back "That's Darius the Decapitator to the likes of you!"

"Don't you think he looks like Romulus?" Waluigi slinked from the shadows of Mario's peripheries; he too had fallen under the same ghastly enchantment. "Same dopey eyes, same ridiculous moustache."

"Thorne, not everyone can have as fine facial hair as you." Daisy smirked as she looked to Wario and Waluigi like old friends. "And Darius, he meant nothing wrong. He must know my descendent and was simply worried for her wellbeing." Her tone darkened "But, his interference stops now. We have business to attend to and he is nothing but a distraction. Shall we?" Daisy gestured them to follow her.

Mario hit the ground with a hard thud as Wario released him. He watched from the muddy earth as Daisy, Wario and Waluigi sauntered off, deeper into the mire. Yet oddly no one else appeared to even notice or care that their dispositions had drastically changed. Another commotion was heard across from him; Mario saw the Koopalings gathered around a series of fallen boxes. They helped someone out of the rubble of broken wood to reveal a human. He was probably shorter than Mario but his red and pink hair was spiked up like a flame making him seem taller. The strange man was wearing the same hooded robes as Fandango, his mask discarded in the broken boxes.

Larry rolled his eyes and snapped "What gives!? Where'd Fandango go?"

" **I am Fandango** …" he stared at his hands then touched his face, equally confused by the fact that he had flesh and bone "But… wow… my skin is back… and my teeth… oh! I can eat spaghetti again! This is awesome!"

"Yeah but… how are you like this?"

"I've no idea unless… hm… well, we'll know when my sisters get back. They shouldn't be too long."

"Or… you know, we could follow the source of that weird pillar of darkness and magic?"

"Yes, we could also do that."

"Why don't we just do that?" Lemmy suggested as he started to totter off in the direction of the magical anomaly. The rest of the Koopalings, Bowser and the re-fleshed Fandango followed after. With little else to do, Mario trailed with them silently yet shared an easy glance with Bowser. By now the two had faced numerous threats as allies, yet this was rather unusual territory for both of them. There was something that bothered Mario as they left the main square of revelry. None of the bohemians seemed to care or even notice the strange magic in the air. They continued to party, dance and play music without a care in the world.

* * *

The magic cleared from the ether allowing Peach and Luigi's eyes to adjust. The Shadow Queen, Diabella, Gallileo and Queen Jaydes were gone. In their place were two women, one adorned in plate armour, a horned helm and a menacing flammenschwert on her back. The other was dressed in a leather duster, looking more like a wandering scholar with her satchel nearly overflowing with parchment. The scholar was heavy set with short green hair and bright green eyes. When the knight removed her helm it was clearly Diabella with her hair restored to a deep purple colour. Diabella ran her tongue across her teeth and growled "Really? My tooth is still missing?"

The scholar replied, sounding exactly like Gallileo "Well, it does suit you."

A mighty reptilian howl bellowed in those ruins, Diabella and Gallileo immediately passed Peach and Luigi to be at Lucia's side. Shadowy ectoplasm writhed through the Dragon Koopa as she cursed in archaic tongues to finally eject the foul corruption from her body. The swirl of ectoplasmic magic wafted into the distance with purpose. While Gallileo tended to Lucia's weakened state, Diabella finally saw Ludwig had witnessed the entire spectacle.

He nodded and stated "You actually are the real deal after all."

She smirked back "I told you that I don't lie."

"Is she alright?" Luigi scampered to Lucia and helped her upright "What was that?"

"My ancestor's spirit was trying to get control of me." Lucia cracked her neck "But when you use my kind of magic, you learn quickly to never let anyone take your autonomy."

Gallileo sighed then informed "But you do realise their spirit will go to the next closest female descendant."

The surrounding vegetation shivered and parted as Wario, Waluigi and Daisy entered. If eyes were the windows to the soul, they clearly reflected that a new soul had taken control of them. There was a fire, ferocity of old from those who survived in the wastes, a survival instinct no one had seen them possess prior. Diabella bowed her head to them "Your majesty, good to see you back."

"Indeed, Warlord." Daisy remarked coldly "The time has come for our plans to come to fruition and yet none of us are even equipped for battle."

"Leave that to me, I will restore the armour and weapons befitting of the Bandit Queen." Gallileo waved her hand, faint runes danced around her skin to reveal strange charts etched into her flesh. The magic enveloped each of them and vanished, Gallileo marvelled at her hand "Oh I've missed the Archivist's Sketches. Then again, you can't have these etchings without flesh."

Daisy appeared satisfied as she studied their new outfits. She wore her mix of chainmail and plate which was adorned by the bones and skins of her kills, her thick belt held her trusty sword and axe. In true berserker style, Wario was in greaves with an axe by his side that looked near impossible to wield. Waluigi was cloaked in various layers, the hood and cloak of a ranger on the outmost layer that concealed his daggers and quiver. Daisy smirked "Not bad for a bookworm."

Gallileo beamed "I have my job up there and you have yours."

Wario growled as he gave his axe a few practice swings "How much longer do we have to wait!? I'm bored already and there're still things to smash!" He laughed "I am pleased to feel my descendants have not lost our bloodline's muscles over the years."

"Sadly I cannot say the same of mine, but I will manage." Daisy then glanced to Waluigi "How goes your descendant's body, Thorne?"

"Aside from recalling odd music in his head…" Waluigi sighed as he listened to his inner monologue "Apparently it is called smooth jazz… I cannot complain."

Luigi piped up at this realisation "Everyone is still in there!?"

Daisy smirked as she slunk to Diabella's side to discuss matters further "Of course, we're not monsters. We just need to borrow their bodies for a little while so just wait here and we'll be back before you know it." Hushed whispers followed as she ignored Luigi.

The meeting was disturbed as the trees parted with a wave of telekinetic force. From the midst of it all stomped a rather irritated Wendy, her eyes blazing with ectoplasmic vapour. Diabella immediately stood defiantly before her to proclaim "No way Scylla! I am not letting you endanger a child, let alone an adolescent Dragon Koopa."

Wendy replied in a tone that was more regal and mature then usual "True, female Dragon Koopas are uncommon in the scheme of things, but this young one seems to have endured much danger in her short life so I am content with it. Your concerns are heard, but we have more pressing matters." She teased and wagged a finger to Diabella "Don't you need to call upon your friend to take us up there?"

"Indeed, where is the Lord of Lightning?" Waluigi queried "Does he still live or did he perish in the war?"

Gallileo solemnly remarked "He lives… mourning the loss of his kin at the ruined kingdom, where we built the dragon aviaries."

Wendy cautioned "Well, you better hurry up, the meddlers are on the way and we don't want any interruptions. I managed to stun them when I manifested but the shock won't hold for long."

Diabella took a deep breath to steady her nerves and centre her thoughts. The air crackled with electricity as a flash of violet lightning tore from the palm of her hand and struck the sky. Within seconds, a monstrous roar heralded the encroached shadow. The clouds parted as a giant dragon, a beast of the old world, landed on the ruins. Its body was layered with ebon horns and scales that added to its ominous presence. Peach and Luigi shrank beneath its cold, piercing gaze, adding the overwhelming feeling that they were not meant to witness such an event. Diabella nodded to the dragon who bowed its head in return, stretching a wing to rest upon the ground and allow mounting. She told her cohorts "Let's go then, everybody on."

Daisy, Gallileo, Wario and Waluigi climbed aboard the Lord of Lightning. Wendy was stopped by a clawed hand, she turned to Ludwig who remarked "You may be some powerful champion of old, but you're in the body of a child. How will you use the full extent of your abilities?"

"I will assist in that manner." Lucia commented as she brazenly passed her son, she took Wendy's hand and remarked "Don't worry, we'll all be fine."

"Diabella… no, Warlord Astrapi." Ludwig called to get her attention "What game are you playing at!? Tell me the aim of your actions! You've been honest with me this whole time, so what is the endgame here?"

"Simple really," Diabella allowed Lucia and Wendy to pass to board the dragon. "Firstly, kill Lentinellus, secondly, return the stars to their original formations to restore the power of wishes to all kingdoms. Ludwig, Peach, Luigi… I promise Gallileo and I will keep your friends and family safe. Got it?"

Ludwig was a little startled by her admission "Uh… yes."

Diabella then finally climbed upon the dragon's head, looking small as she knelt between its horns. The mighty beast disappeared upwards with a beat of its outstretched wings. Gale force winds bellowed around all and rocked the ruins to its core. When the winds had settled, those who remained could do nothing more than look upwards to see a faint, menacing shadow ascend the sky.

Peach finally clambered to her feet and exclaimed "We need to stop them!"

Ludwig coldly replied "Why?"

"Well… because they're going to destroy Star Road?"

"And that would be a problem because?"

"I know what you mean," Luigi sighed and shook his head "I don't know who's side we should be on now…"

"I just hope everyone is alright and that whoever took over Wendy didn't hurt them too much."

"We should go find them… we can't do anything here…" Peach strode past them into the mire, an odd mix of concern, fear and anger creased her features. She wasn't sure what to do next, but she knew she had to find the others… surely they would have a next move to follow.

* * *

Mario struggled to adjust his eyes as he fumbled blindly on the ground. He could feel the damp, mossy earth sodden the denim of his overalls and his gloves. He was trailing behind Bowser and the Koopalings when a sudden burst of darkness erupted from Wendy. The force of which unleashed a shockwave that bowled everyone around her over and temporarily jarred their vision into a blurry mess. The worst of which was that the air felt heavy, suffocating, making it hard to breath and further incapacitate the group. Fortunately it appeared temporary as his vision clarified and breathing stopped hurting. He finally scrambled to his feet again to see everyone else in a similar state, all except Fandango.

Fandango was watching the sky with wonderment as a dragon ascended to the heavens. A knowing grin appeared on his face as he punched the air in triumph.


	11. So we're not going back to the party

After so long, Fandango was relieved to see the Lord of Lightning soar through the sky once more. He knew his sisters were on their way to correct the crimes of Lentinellus. Yet there was concern of whether it would be for the best, times had changed and he was unsure whether this plan was as feasible as it had been in the Era of Ire. Nevertheless, time would tell as he turned to head back to Rhapsody and re-join the party. His departure was interrupted as a talon grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and lifted him to Bowser's line of sight.

Fandango smiled at the livid Koopa King "Shall we go back to the party?"

"NO! WE WILL NOT GO BACK TO THE PARTY! WHAT HAPPENED TO WENDY!?" Bowser's maw glowed with fire, breathing flame over Fandango as his anger boiled over.

His captive merely shrugged the fire off "She's with my sisters, she'll be fine… I think. Come on, let's go back to Rhapsody and enjoy ourselves." The remaining Koopalings, Mario and Bowser were speechless. When he noted the shocked expressions and widened eyes darting between one another with uncertainty, Fandango explained "I'm a pyromancer, fire is very much my thing and it can't touch me after one of my experiments went wrong a long time ago."

"I have come to learn very quickly that whenever any of your family is involved, NOTHING GOES FINE! EVERYTHING BECOMES HORRIBLE! I hate that, especially because being horrible is **my thing!** Got it!?"

Mario interjected by ripping Fandango from Bowser's grip. "They've also got Daisy. We need to go after them before she gets hurt! You may have all come from a time of combat but… we're not. Fandango, there's got to be a way to follow them!"

"The only thing that could fly now is Diabella's bugs. The big ones mind you, I'm talking about Bismillah, Beelzebub and Silhouetta… but… good luck getting them to listen to you." Fandango brushed Mario's hand off his shoulder and turned to head back to Rhapsody.

"Oh no you don't, you're coming with us." Mario grabbed the sleeve of Fandango's robe and remarked "We need to save Daisy."

Bowser reminded "And Wendy! And maybe Wario and Waluigi… maybe…" Mario gave him a knowing look, Bowser groaned back "Fine, we'll save those idiots too."

Larry growled in annoyance "Wait, what about us!? You're just going to leave us here!?"

Bowser nodded back "Yes."

"That's not fair!"

"If you were older, maybe I'd take you along. But for now, stay here and continue to defrost Junior!" Bowser roared at the remaining Koopalings "That's an order from your king!"

Fandango sighed to himself while watching Larry, Lemmy, Iggy, Roy and Morton head back in the direction of Rhapsody "Lucky, wish that was me." Bowser shoved him forward, keeping a wary eye on Fandango. He kept walking calmly, knowing a chance to escape will unveil itself soon.

Oddly the path ahead was somewhat illuminated by the gentle glow of neon, harlequin fungi. It cascaded over branches as near translucent curtains, clustered on the ground like gems and ooze from cracked bark on trees. Yet their glow seemed to dim the closer they approached the inner sanctum, like the darkness sought to hide something. A few paces into the deeper, darker parts of mire allowed them to stumble into equally baffled outsiders. Peach, Luigi and Ludwig appeared from the cluster of moss covered trees. Immediately there were wordless embraces and screeches of joy as Peach, Luigi and Mario were reunited. Ludwig slunk to Bowser, looking every bit guilty of running away again. Bowser knowingly smirked, a sign his underling wasn't in too much trouble for his actions.

Before any words could be spoken, there was a chill in the air then a gentle warmth. An eruption of darkness tore into existence as Queen Jaydes manifested before them. Beside her was a shimmer of prismatic light as another monarch appeared. His angelic form was adorned by iridescent harlequin wings and had a long beard that wafted like clouds. His robes were plain a simple, his demeanour was warm and kind, a complete antithesis to Jaydes.

"Queen Jaydes! King Grambi!" Mario smiled, relieved to see old allies in such uncertain times "What brings you here? How have you been since Luvbi…"

Jaydes bowed her head to inform "Luvbi's sacrifice was all worth it because Count Blek was stopped. Sadly, we've come with sad news… the Shadow Queen has played her hand."

Mario's smile vanished, the very mention of the Shadow Queen settled a fear in his heart he hadn't felt in years. He solemnly said "What do we do?"

"Mario!" Peach intervened "Diabella bargained with Jaydes and the Shadow Queen a moment ago, that's why everything has gone so strange."

Jaydes reminded "Diabella seeks to destroy the Star Road and received power from the Shadow Queen to do it." She bitterly cursed "That woman is a monster."

"Jaydes, not now. I've been informed so I've decided to try helping," Grambi smiled "I can bestow the gift of light so you stand a chance against the foes on Star Road, so you can do the right thing. Wield it as you wield the power of a Fire Flower."

"Wait a minute!" Ludwig growled "Why do you two suddenly care about the Star Road? What do you have to gain by it being there?" Bowser tried to place a talon on his shoulder to calm him, but Ludwig shrugged it off "No really, what game are you playing here!? You're the rulers of the Underwhere and the Overthere! Why would you care about something as little as the Star Road?"

"So I see the Shadow Queen has a spy here too. That doubt will make you fail in what must be done." Queen Jaydes flicked her fingers "Begone." Ludwig was sent hurtling through the mire by an unknown force. Before Bowser could interject, Jaydes remarked "No harm will come to him, he's just being sent back to Rhapsody."

Grambi laughed "Now then, everyone come in close so I can enchant you with my celestial boons."

Luigi hesitated "Are we really going to go along with this, bro?"

Mario sighed and informed "How are the keepers of the white pure heart anything but good? I don't know what's happening here and no one is giving me a clear answer so… I'm going to believe them because they haven't lied to me yet."

"You sure Ludwig is safely in Rhapsody?" Bowser growled to the godly monarchs.

Jaydes informed "Yes, he will be safely there until your return."

Bowser stood by Luigi, Mario and Peach "Then let's get this over with."

Grambi began to focus his blessing as a circle of light surrounded all of them. Celestial stars of magic shone and glistened with all the colours of the rainbow as they empowered all before him. Jaydes stood back with a smug grin as she watched the heroes of this time receive the power of the heavens. It would be more than enough to fight back against Diabella and her cronies. Grambi offered another boon in the form of a gold and pearl chariot emblazoned with rainbow wings and draped in layers of clouds. He gestured them to board it "This will take you where you need to be."

While Mario, Luigi and Bowser immediately boarded the chariot, Peach hesitated for a moment. She had stood beyond the enchantment circle at the last moment to avoid whatever Grambi and Jaydes were up to. They may have been allies while collecting the pure hearts to stop the void, yet after witnessing Jaydes and the Shadow Queen confront one another, Peach had become wary of them. She cautiously followed after her friends and stood on the chariot with them, watching the world grow small beneath her gaze as they were spirited away into the sky.

* * *

When Ludwig finally stopped falling he hit the ground hard. When his senses returned to normal he could see that he was back in the inner sanctum where Silhouetta rested. Given this turn of events, he began to wonder whether this life was just a game for something beyond their knowledge. Like something or someone was driving them to fight, it was that same mysterious force that turned Mario from a friendly plumber to a Koopa stomping hero. Even at times Ludwig thought it was odd how Bowser would fall under some illogical compulsion to kidnap Peach. He wondered how much of this was all just a game for some audience he could never see. Ludwig slowly rose to stand, brushing moss off his scales as he pondered what to do next… if there was even anything he could do.

"I thought no one would be here… you're not going to snitch on me, are you?"

Ludwig turned to see the strange man with pink hair in Fandango's robes. He rolled his eyes, recognising the voice "Fandango… I thought my uncle was holding you prisoner… didn't recognise you until then, you look like an idiot."

He slyly remarked "Says the fellow with equally stupid, flamboyant hair."

"Fine… but how did you get here? Weren't you with us?"

"About the time you were all hugging and being happy I slipped away, then I saw Jaydes and Grambi show up so I hightailed it over here instead of going back to Rhapsody to party. I don't know what's going on but I need to tell them what's happened down here and that they're sending Mario and all them to the Star Road…" Fandango held his head for a moment and groaned "Ah… still feeling dizzy… this is weird… I don't like having a human body…"

"You want to warn Diabella and Gallileo… wait a minute, what do I call you three anyway?"

"Just the names you always knew us by, we've been around for a long time and we change our names out of habit so… just call us by how you know us."

Ludwig carefully watched Fandango as he scampered about the ruins. He nervously peered into the murky depths and knocked on various parts of the stone structures; rattling smaller insects from their rest. Ludwig followed after him, generally asking "Why did you panic at the sight of Jaydes and Grambi?"

Fandango didn't turn from his search for a mount "Because I don't trust them. They tend to pop up when chaos is everywhere, offer a basic solution and generally take advantage of people when they're confused."

"I don't…" Ludwig then thought carefully about how the others had reacted to their presence "Actually… that's a solid plan. Show up at the height of panic so no one asks questions or thinks too hard about it…"

"Exactly, look, Ludwig… there are a lot of higher beings floating about. Each one is as morally flawed and complex as the next, just like us… but mark my words, never trust any of them. I don't like what my sisters are doing with bargaining with the Shadow Queen… but, it's not like I can stop them. It's their choice to play along like it's my choice to not."

"But what is going on anyway?"

"I think there's a bigger game going on, one that's only meant to be played by higher beings like Jaydes, Grambi and the Shadow Queen." Fandango paused for moment, contemplating his following words with care "Have you ever felt like this world is completely out of sync? Like there's no continuity of logic or method to the madness?"

Ludwig pondered carefully, recalling the variety of adventures that occurred; the types of villains, the times when Mario and Bowser were antagonists then suddenly friends, the way life seemed to be a battle among kingdoms to then happily go-karting, more worryingly was how frequent malevolent forces from beyond the realm seemed to manifest on a whim. He then slowly nodded "Yes… it's really weird…"

"Exactly, the reason that is the case is because Lentinellus completely ripped the sky asunder and repositioned the stars on a whim many, many years ago. Since then, this world has been trying to stabilise itself… I'm not sure if it ever will. The higher beings are kind of using it to play their own game… even if I don't know what that is… all I know is that I don't think we should partaking in it. We don't belong in it, we don't know the rules so we need to stay out of it."

"Why did Lentinellus do all this?"

"No idea, but, he wasn't happy just being a prosperous merchant so he became a lord, then he aimed higher to become a king, so I'm guessing in his nature he wanted to become a god. Who can say? The man was insane with greed." Fandango then chirped happily as a mound of moss stirred and erupted nearby "Ah, Bismillah! That's where you've been hiding."

The giant spider, beetle hybrid clicked its mandibles warily at them. It loomed over Ludwig and Fandango to study them. Eight inky pools stared down at them with a curious intellect.

"Bismillah! Come on! It's me, Fandango! Your master's brother!"

Ludwig then saw a different way to reason with it "We need to help Diabella. We need you to take us to Star Road."

Bismillah responded by lowering itself to the ground so they could climb atop its exoskeleton. Once Ludwig and Fandango were secure, they heard a strange clicking as Bismillah's back carapace split to reveal iridescent wings. The large insect ascended after the others, swerving past the glimmering beam of light conjured by Grambi.

"There's something I don't get." Ludwig muttered into Fandango's ear as the winds blew past them "How come your attitude to weird magic seems so different to all your sisters?"

Fandango bluntly answered "Because I'm the weakest link of the family… I just tinker with magical relics and spells and that's all I'm good at. I was the Archmage, I was only responsible for researching and putting the things the Archivist finds into practice. I didn't like messing with weird magic because it's pretty risky stuff."

"The more I hear of your former kingdom, the more I believe it to be a giant academy for the study of magic."

"That's exactly what we were, Gallileo kept everything archived and in order, Shalazia taught the common folk how to use magic, I tinkered and researched to make things better and easier, and Diabella… well… she was the one who hunted down those who used their newfound knowledge to hurt others…"

Ludwig could see the nervousness creep onto Fandango's face, the tears budding in his eyes as he clung to Bismillah's back. Ludwig could only offer one solace "We'll help as best we can."

"Yeah, I don't want to see my sisters die… I also know you want to save your cousin too. Wendy got possessed, right?"

Ludwig nodded; they both remained silent as they ascended further in the cloud line. The wispy, ivory mists parted and grew darker with each rise. The shimmering road of celestial might cut a sharp line through the night sky. A strange unfathomable power choked the ether as a storm began to churn.

* * *

Arcing over the entire world was the celestial ribbon known as Star Road. Powerful in intensity at its centre and fading into shimmering mist as it narrowly stretched over the land and sea. At the exact centre of the road, over the Mushroom Kingdom, was the origin of this path. A majestic castle built from crystal and stardust where the Star Road began and ended; a sparkling beacon of divine power that wavered with the aurora blaze of the night sky. The structure was not so much built, but grown organically from the memories of monarchs and the wishes of opulent times. Star spirits, tiny beings of light and glitter that ranged in size and shape, soared freely from the many windows and doors of the dreamlike kingdom.

Although the dream was disturbed by the lumbering presence of another, the star spirits screeched with fear at the sight of ghastly, pixelated mess of crystal. It glitched erratically in movement, with little logic as to how the abomination was moving. The hullaballoo called the leader of the spirits to his balcony. He seldom unveiled himself to the mortal gaze, a tall handsome human adorned in celestial robes made of clouds and starlight. He was ethereal in beauty with golden hair and bright blue eyes, a boyish face that looked pure and alluring. He gazed down upon the lumbering beast, hearing its screeches and cries that had fallen to indistinguishable white noise. Yet he saw the creature's aura, he knew what it had been.

He floated effortlessly down to the beast's level, a gentle concern on his face. "My dear Shalazia… what have you done to yourself?"

Roars of screeches emanated from no discernible face or mouth. He allowed it to wash over him, understanding every sound as though the creature was speaking clearly.

"You tried to use the Prism Star to create the Water of Life so we could be together forever… that's so beautiful…" His gentle façade faded to a cruel leer "Yet completely unneeded. I already attained immortality and command of the stars long, long ago, my dear, sweet, Shalazia. It was simply really, I just had to sacrifice Stellara and steal her essence thus becoming a Star Spirit and when I got here, well, the others were more than happy to follow my lead. Now I'm effectively with power equal to Jaydes and Grambi."

Another screech in protest as Shalazia tried to swat the arrogant king down.

He elegantly stepped aside "Yes, yes, using the same process I got you to test and refine. I had to make sure it was safe, darling, and I doubt your dim-witted brother would have agreed to help me. You on the other hand, a little attention, a little compliment or two, a clandestine meeting on a moonlight night… and you were all too happy to play the part of the unloved sister trapped in the station of her office." He kept moving like a dancer as Shalazia grew more violent in her thrashing and harrowing cries, shattering crystalline starlight and scattering the shards to the wind. "Oh come now, I just made up all those rumours about the Prism Star being the font of immortality. I had no idea it was used as a prison to contain the Shadow Queen. Yet you believed me so easily." He leapt up with ease, scaling Shalazia's eldritch form with a single bound to remark. "To think, your entire kingdom fell because you turned on your family. It's lovely when a plan comes together and you certainly played your part and continued to do for centuries, and I thank you profusely for that." He laughed heartily "Oh, your sister is coming to kill me? I'd like to see her try. The stars are the most powerful magic in existence, I'll annihilate her before she even touches me."

Shalazia felt his fist collide with her body, a strange power emanating from the point it struck as she felt what little remained of her sanity fall away like wet cake. As she lost herself, she let out a final screech, sounding like the fading signal of a dying television reception.

"Why? That is a good question… well, if I was to bring about new a world order. The Arcane Archives was my greatest enemy. You archived history and taught it actively, you educated people… I needed to destroy that so I could tell people what to believe. Don't think you're so special, the Koopa Empire, Sarasaland, the Twisted Manors… they all had to either die or fade to obscurity if the Mushroom Kingdom was to succeed." He leaned over to Shalazia, a smirk on his face "Ah yes, my dear Water Princess… Your great celestial king, Lentinellus, will take care of you now. But only, if you take care of your sister when she arrives."

Shalazia followed after him like a lost puppy. Lentinellus skulked back to his monolithic throne room and beckoned her to sit beneath him like a mindless hound. Star Spirits cowered in the shadows at the sight of her pixelated form yet felt comforted by the honeyed tones of their king.

"Fear not, my subjects, I will protect you all from that wicked night. The stars will not fail us… the heavens will not fail us… fate will not allow my grand designs to fall into chaos."


	12. Raise hell in heaven

The originally submitted version of this chapter didn't work for the story. So I rewrote it because I couldn't quite get the chapter right without some feedback from the audience (particularly 7King Bowser7 on who explained the problem very well). Same plot but written better (hopefully) and the sequence of events for this section of the story have been flipped around for the reader's benefit.

* * *

The dark clouds gathered then parted as the Lord of Lightning broke through the heavens. The shimmering Star Road acted as the perfect guide to their destination. Obsidian waves smothered the light while the world beneath the Star Road powerlessly watched the nothingness unfurl on the skies above. The presence of the ancient storm dragon roused a dormant power within the Star Road. Lining the iridescent path across the sky were various structures, purely assumed to decorative. Yet even after centuries of disuse, the iridescent towers came to life once more. The gemstones clustered along them began to shimmer before unleashing miasmic clouds of celestial might. Nebulae breathed and comets shot across the night trailing a powerfully glittering magic in the sky. The Lord of Lightning began evasive measures, darting, rolling and swerving to masterfully avoid the lethal miasma. He hissed and growled as his tail brushed one of the starry nebulae, stripping the scales from that part of his tail down to his oozing flesh. He still continued to ascend, now soaring with ease over the Star Road towards a castle at the heart of the mysterious path.

Lucia was surprised by the change in Diabella's demeanour as she remained seated in silence to cling to life on their dangerous ascent. She was so used to seeing Diabella's usual lazy, crooked smile and her half closer eyes. Now her horned helm hid her emotions behind a severe, menacing mask. She was perched on the Lord of Lightning's head the whole flight to lean in every so often, possibly whispering things to the dragon that Lucia couldn't decipher. Abruptly Diabella heroically leapt from the dragon's head to crash dramatically before the castle's entrance. The piece of the crystalline road had shattered from the impact yet Diabella was unscathed. The Lord of Lightning finally descended and landed, allowing the others to dismount and follow after Diabella who was already marching through the entrance. The ancient dragon offered a final cry and disappeared into the sky.

The hallways of the palace were unusually dusky for a kingdom built on the celestial shimmer of the stars. Lucia trailed behind the others who moved with precise purpose. She could sense something unusual about this place. For all the opulence, serenity and celestial beauty, the magic here was artificial. It was not allowed to take its natural form, only cruelly contorted and broken into a desired shape. Lucia recalled her childhood magic lessons from Kamek and Kammy, that magic must be respected to take its own shape and form. Someone of great magical ability was keeping this place bound to their logic and she wondered what would happen if their abilities were disrupted.

The dazzling hallways with gilded velvet carpet opened to a majestic throne room surrounded by windows and archways to better observe the sky. Upon the gently curved throne was an elderly star sprite looking gentle and wise with a long cloudy moustache. He gestured with a nubby point for his audience to come forward. Lucia followed their lead as each ancient being nodded to one another then moved before the throne. The old star spirit proclaimed "Welcome to the heart of Star Haven. I am Eldstar, the oldest star spirit and leader of my kin."

Diabella and Gallileo exchanged suspicious glances. Instead Wario spoke gruffly "Quit the peaceful crap! If you were some goodey-goodey you wouldn't have shot at us on our way up here!" He was cut off by Waluigi placing a hand on his shoulder to quell Wario's anger.

"I assure you, good people, that there is a logical explanation. Unless you go through the correct warp points, Star Road will react poorly."

Daisy folded her arms over her chest "And oddly these warp points are within walking distance of the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Bit odd for an impartial species that governs one of the most powerful magics in the game." Wendy shared the same unimpressed expression.

Eldstar grew uneasy "Well… why would beings such as you ascend in such a way if not to cause trouble?"

"My apologies, but we simply want to ensure our wishes are heard." Gallileo shrugged and remained upbeat in tone "We've been wishing for some time and it feels like none of you up here are listening."

Eldstar's furrow browed, uneasy at this request "Very well, what are your wishes?"

"We have three, one from each of our ancient homelands." Wendy cleared her throat and proclaimed "I wish that the Dark Lands were restored to the primordial bogs of old so that my people may thrive in a hospitable land rather than a desolate wasteland."

Wario and Waluigi bowed as Daisy stated "I wish that the plague in the sands and soil was cleansed so the ancient tribe, the Shamans, can return to their homeland in Sarasaland. A horrible plague forced them into hiding and nearly killed them all. The disease still lingers in the land, only impacting Shamans. I want my people to return to their home!"

Gallileo kept a wary eye on Diabella who's hand was poised and ready to move. "Our wish is simple, we want to know the fate of Rosalina, the child of Remus and Stellara, who we cared for when she was a baby."

Eldstar fidgeted in his throne, struggling to remain calm as he physically quaked. "I see… but all those wishes would be to undo the passage of time. Change is natural and you must accept it."

Waluigi remarked with a disdainful roll of his eyes "We understand that change is natural, but you see, every change we have mentioned only happened from one of your selfish whims. Each change was also a major tragedy for all involved. The Shamans are still hiding between dimensions and the Dragon Koopas are critically endangered at this point. Yet their relics and spells remain in this world, they go unchecked, someone tries to exploit it and everyone dies unless some hero saves them at the last minute."

" **MY** whims? Whatever do you mean? And tragedy!? Do you not realise the threat of the Dragon Koopas or the Shamans!? You speak as though we can co-exist with such monsters! And Rosalina… that brat is nothing more than-"

Wario brandished his axe "One who rightfully belonged on that throne. Given she was part Star Spirit and all naturally. Then she mysteriously disappeared… convenient for you."

"Besides… where's the **real** Eldstar?" Wendy taunted "Nice disguise but you cannot hide from us, Lentinellus."

Gallileo smirked as she conjured a bolt of shadowy magic and struck Eldstar with it "I bet you were rather shocked to see us all again. Did you really think we wouldn't come for you at some point?"

The darkness parted to reveal Lentinellus, the true leader of the Star Spirits. He brushed the lingering ectoplasm of the spell from his arm like filth "And you idiots don't know when to quit." He snapped his fingers "No matter, I will never lose to disgusting creatures like you."

Waluigi looked to his colleagues "So… plan B?"

Wario grinned, tightening the grip on his warhammer "Let's wreck up the place! Starting with his pretty little face!"

Diabella's voice dripped with venom "That face is mine to kick in."

"Pathetic! All of you are pathetic and doomed!" Lentinellus screeched before finding Diabella charge up to him, her gauntleted fist connected with his face. He could taste the bitterness of blood as something fell from his mouth. For a second he lost focus, the fragile illusion of his starry kingdom was shook to the core.

The castle began to rumble and quake, slowly falling away into pieces. Immediately Lucia recalled her purpose here and grabbed Wendy's arm. Even if she was possessed by the soul of a Koopa Empress, Wendy was still a vulnerable child. Lucia led her away quickly, bounding between falling walls and rubble as Lentinellus' perfect world crumbled from his outburst. When the clouds of glitter settled amidst the desiccated nothingness of his castle, Lucia scanned the horizon for her comrades in arms. She could hear tortured screams and see the vague silhouettes of lumbering goliaths in the background, the clash of metal as the melee unfurled in a chaotic dance. Celestial spirits adorned with star motifs in their robes and armour swirled into existence only to be cut down with ease by their opponents. Star Spirits twisted their usual forms in a trance to become beasts of elemental wrath that cobbled new forms from the rubble. A battle was waging ahead as all her comrades had moved forward to fight rather than retreat.

Wendy peered up at Lucia "You don't know where to start, do you?"

"I've never actually been on a battlefield."

"It is often chaotic and hard to decipher so your reservations are normal."

"How do we go about helping?"

"Simple, we provide magical support for Diabella, Belladonna, Darius and Thorne who are cutting through Lentinellus' forces to find where he's hiding."

"Distraction for what?" Lucia then noticed who was missing from Wendy's observations "Gallileo!? What's she up to?"

Wendy smirked back "Probably finding the mechanism beneath the castle ruins." She pointed to a stairwell leading into a starry miasma that remained untouched within the ruins "Down there, there's probably something of Lentinellus' making…"

"Should we help there then?"

"Not yet, my dear. Gaia needs time to decipher what webs of lies Lentinellus has woven. Now come along, you are my vessel's bodyguard, are you not?" Wendy gestured Lucia to follow in tow.

Lucia shadowed her as they made their way across the rubble of the castle. Celestial beings rose in retaliation to their presence but were easily swatted out of existence with a shadowy spell or two. Lucia calmly asked "How is my niece in there anyway?"

Wendy launched a beam of darkness into the distance, colliding with a goliath made of starlight lumbering towards them. Lucia marvelled at how a single spell could fell such a foe with ease. Wendy responded "Wendy is fearful, as expected. But I am always assuring her every step of the way. Fortunately, my magic hasn't suffered from being contained in such a small vessel."

"I never thought Star Spirits could do this…"

"They can't, Lentinellus is using their bodies and twisting them into weapons. He's panicking because he knows he's going to lose."

From the sight of the battlefield unfolding, Lucia saw what she meant. Diabella and the ancestors of Daisy, Wario and Waluigi were very comfortable in a battlefield. They manoeuvred with the frivolity of dancers in a ballroom leading to a fluid motion in each deadly attack which slayed each of their opponents with ease. They cut down each Star Spirit that dared challenge them, sending waves of shimmering fireworks into the night. In between the melee, Wario appeared in charge of demolishing vital pieces of the Star Road. A single swing of his hammer in the right place literally shattered part of the harlequin pathway to pieces. The crumbling remains would then descend beneath the cloud line brewing beneath them like a stormy sea. Building after building were crushed to pieces as the Star Road began to fell apart. Quickly only ruins and thin crystalline path remained, even then weaker patches of the road began to fracture sending the road teetering drunkenly across the sky as it swayed on the wind. Lucia and Wendy then caught a flicker of something in the distance, a conjured chariot and Bismillah rose from the cloud line..

* * *

Mario froze up at the sight of the Star Road… the desolation… the destruction… the chaos… all the Star Spirits either fleeing or falling to the lands bellow. At the heart of it all was that monstrous woman, the Lightning Queen that Shalazia had feared. Now Mario could understand why, she looked human enough, yet looking at the state of the Star Road made him believe she was beyond salvation. He remained perched at the bow of the chariot, clenching his hands as he said "Jaydes was right…"

"No." Peach remarked calmly, placing a hand on his shoulder, she glanced to Bowser and Luigi "We shouldn't interfere with that, I know it's easy to get caught up in it but we have no place in… well… whatever is going on with Jaydes, Grambi and the Shadow Queen. They seem to be playing a game beyond our understanding. So instead of questioning our morality and undermining ourselves, why don't we help Diabella instead?"

Mario turned to her "Peach!? You can't be serious!"

"Why not? If something is stopping the Star Spirits from helping people, shouldn't we stop it? If something has corrupted the Star Road, shouldn't we do something about it? That's the reality I think we should be looking at! Not questioning the past." Peach shook her head as she stood her ground "We're in the present, what's done is done, we can only change the future."

"But the problem is that… well, just look at them go down there…" Luigi nervously pointed to the path. Within a short time, the Star Road in all its harmony and order had been reduced to a quivering, sickly and broken shadow of its former self. He watched the shadows of Diabella, Waluigi, Wario and Daisy propel themselves from swaying crystals and teetering ruins like giddy children. The air was different up here; they could nearly soar without harming themselves terribly if one could read the winds. The chariot continued circling,

"They're giddy with bloodlust…" Bowser grumbled under his breath "Just like my dad was…"

Peach smiled to him "Bowser? Am I sensing an emotional breakthrough here? I mean, we've all known you for years but we have no idea what your family is like."

"There's a reason for that… until I came along as king, the Koopa Kingdom hadn't really changed since the Era of Ire… I decided I didn't want to kidnap princesses and kill them. I didn't want to go to war with every surrounding kingdom… I wanted my people to not be terrified of their king."

"That must've been really hard to do as a ruler. I faced similar challenges when I ascended to the throne… the nobles and lords did not believe in my ideas that a leader should be accessible and among the people like I am." Peach sighed at the bitter memory "I'm guessing you faced similar critics, huh?"

"Yeah, I spent most of my youth battling it out with my siblings and generally stomping on destructive ideas of war and death… like the aesthetic is awesome but it's no way to run a kingdom."

"So that's why you kidnapped me but never hurt me. I thought it was just a crush."

"It wasn't, Peach. Like, you're a pretty human and all but I'm not that in to humans." Bowser then snorted to Mario "And she's right, whatever is going on with Jaydes, Grambi and the Shadow Queen is none of our damn business. Besides he may have given us these cool temporary powers, but there's no demands of how we're meant to use them before they fade."

"Yeah bro," Luigi pleaded "You know me, we shouldn't be messing with that part of the game, we're not players in it at all. It's like me and , we can't really stop the ghosts and we're sure there's something bigger going on, but we just treat what we can so they don't run amuck."

"I guess… it's just," Mario kept his eyes on the field beneath them, cringing at every clash of melee and worrying for the livelihood of his friends "I just want to do the right thing but it feels like there is no right thing here…"

"Well, why don't we ask someone who knows what they're doing here?"

Mario followed Luigi's line of thought, then turned to Bowser "You reckon you can reason with Diabella? Sounds like you may have a way of relating to her. I don't want to fight unnecessarily."

Bowser nodded "I'll try, get me in close and I'll jump down to her. You guys get a safe distance away."

"I think I can do that," Luigi remarked as he tapped the strange gems along the railing that seemed to steer the strange chariot "Maybe… hmm… this thing is weird to drive."

The chariot wildly bucked, spinning into a barrel roll that sent Bowser flying into the fray. The chariot looped around to crash wildly into a pile of rubble. Bowser stomped on the Star Road before Diabella, in hindsight; he partially regretted his choice to confront the knight and her allies alone. She loomed before him with a menacing presence while he could feel Daisy, Wario and Waluigi circle around him like predators stalking prey.


	13. Sounds familiar

Ludwig held on for dear life as Bismillah broke through the cloud barrier. He tried to focus on Fandango's enthusiasm and laughter but it didn't help quell his fears of plummeting to his death. The erratically swaying Star Road made them cling to each other as it loomed and broke into pieces with a sickening crack. After much screaming, they both realised they were still alive and opened their eyes to see that Bismillah had landed safely near Lucia and Wendy. The large insect was nuzzling Wendy like a giant puppy and trying to clip her bow with its mandibles.

"Easy… giant bug… who is oddly friendly." Wendy helped them down from Bismillah "Floga? I'm surprised to see you out."

"Hey Empress Scylla…" Fandango shyly remarked "Well, we had a good reason. Grambi and Jaydes have super-powered a bunch of heroes to stop you guys."

"I see," Wendy glanced to the battle in the distance "There's no way I can tell them directly. But why are they even getting involved? What we're doing is none of their business."

"Maybe they're just feeling offended because my sisters used Jaydes to bargain with the Shadow Queen?"

"That ought to do it."

"Alright, yeah… you're right. I just panicked because it's been so long and I… well, you know… you get a bit jumpy when weird deities suddenly reappear again after leaving nothing but bad memories…" Fandango steadied himself as Wendy put a comforting arm around him. He then nervously looked up to Lucia to remark "So… how's your family reunion going?"

Lucia sighed and rolled her eyes "Sadly I'm not spending as much time as I'd like with them. You?"

"It's going horribly. Started with my sisters fighting and now they're going to kill my sister's ex-boyfriend."

"Why is it so quiet all of a sudden?" Ludwig breathed deeply and nervously, his pulse was racing as silence fell. He and the others looked to the distance to see Bowser barring Diabella and the others from progressing further. "Oh no… oh no!" Ludwig scampered to his feet and ran to them.

"Ludwig!" Lucia called after him, she was stopped from moving forward by Fandango placing a hand on her talon. "Why are you stopping me?"

"Because I think he and your brother can handle it. Your son is a very capable person, you know? Your brother raised him good so far."

Wendy gestured to the partially crashed chariot nearby "And I believe we are of more use elsewhere right now."

"Hey! You guys alright in there!?" Fandango paced over, he pulled a beam of debris away to reveal Mario's face. He put his arms up "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you… I just went a little loopy from having my human body back." He then offered a hand "Let me help you out."

"Thankyou." Mario said as he took Fandango's hand and was pulled from the wreck. They both then cooperated to help Luigi and Peach out. Dishevelled but luckily still alive, Mario, Luigi and Peach were surprised by the help from Fandango, Lucia and Wendy.

Before the six of them could regroup, Gallileo had materialised from the mysterious stairwell in the remains of the castle. Miasmic starlight still dripped from her coat as she frantically ran up to them with a terrified expression. "Everyone!" She finally skidded to a halt, Lucia just caught her by her collar before she slid over the side of Star Road "Thanks, anyway, hi everyone. Why are you all here? Actually wait, no, that doesn't matter. You're here now and apparently working together so I'll run with it. I got good news and bad news and everyone needs to know this, right now!"

Fandango shook his head at her "Sis, calm down, breathe between your words. Remember? Breathing? That thing we do to stay alive?"

Mario asked hopefully "So what's the good news?"

Gallileo proclaimed "I've found the real Eldstar! He's still alive or about as alive as a Star Spirit can be, so Lentinellus just replaced him on the throne. He didn't kill the custodian of the night sky!"

"Eldstar? But… but he helped me in the past with saving Star Road… that wasn't the real Eldstar?"

"Probably not, don't feel bad though. We only saw through the lies because we knew what we were looking for."

Luigi remarked "That doesn't sound like very good news if a Star Spirit was replaced by this Lentinellus…"

Peach nervously questioned "And the bad news is what?"

"Eldstar is currently part of some nightmarish contraption of Lentinellus' design that's hidden under the castle ruins. I have surmised that he is alive, coherent and I need three other magic users or magical entities." She beamed and pointed to Peach and Luigi "You two will do fine, maybe I'll get Lucia to help too. Anyway, we need to combine our powers to… to… well… make the choice of what to do…" The others around Gallileo gestured for her to continue with the grim news "With the design of this contraption we only have two choices… we either move the stars back to where they belong or we permanently end the game of Eldstar… we can't do both…"

"Mario?" Peach noticed his brow furrow and a dark mood settle on his features.

"I know what the right thing is now…" he smirked at her "We just need to end Lentinellus…"

Fandango pointed to the distance where Bowser was confronting Diabella, he grimly informed "Well, that's fine and all, but you may need to end Diabella if she doesn't calm down. It's cool, I'm her brother. I totally give you permission to end her if it'll calm her down. She's got negative lives so it doesn't matter."

Peach reminded "But won't it undo your deal with the Shadow Queen?"

Fandango shrugged then let out a sigh of defeat "So be it. This is more important."

* * *

Bowser and Diabella remained in the stillness of that moment on Star Road. He trembled a little, unsure of what to say as he stared at the knight before him. That anonymous, emotionless knight was not the interfering idiot he had known Diabella to be. He did not like her, but she had been kind to his family when they were lost and he couldn't overlook that. He could feel an arrow aimed at his head from the bow of Waluigi. While Daisy and Wario looked ready to bound in and end him when the signal was given. Bowser mustered his courage and tried to ignore his potential death looming in his peripherals. Instead he thought carefully of what he knew about Diabella and how he had spoken to other undead entities like King Boo and the Boos that occupied the Koopa Kingdom.

"Speak," commanded Diabella "Why do you bar my path? Are you protecting Lentinellus? You stink of Grambi and Jaydes' interfering grasp."

"Look, yes, we accepted a boon from them to get here… but we're staying the hell out of whatever this stuff is. It's too much drama, who needs it!?" Bowser shook his head "But… I'm wondering whether you've regressed… you sound different Diabella. Why is that?"

"Because I am finally going to kill the man who ruined our lives! Who started the Era of Ire!"

"And you have to become who you were to defeat him? You've been around for close to a thousand years now and you've learned **nothing** from that?"

She drew her blade, poised to strike him down "I… he started it!"

Bowser remained calm "And you have to finish it?"

She tightened the grip on her sword "Yes!"

"Then why does it feel like you're finishing it on **his** terms?" He saw her hesitate for a moment "See, you know I'm right. Why are you letting him control you like this? Why are you letting him make you regress to who you were?"

"You don't understand…"

"I do understand! The Boos in my kingdom lost everything, but I help them find a new way of living. You've… you've lost your family and kingdom to this guy…" Bowser shook his head "Sadly I've lost my siblings, maybe not in a death way, but we never see each other and my father certainly felt betrayed after I took the throne and changed my kingdom's ways… and you can keep being angry and resentful and regressing back to who you **were** …" He growled at her "Or you can choose to walk away and be who you are **now**!"

"I can't just walk away, don't you get the damage he's done!"

"Then settle it with him! Don't take it out on Star Road! I'll even help you pulverise him!" Bowser then paused as he saw Ludwig nearby. His nephew picked up a chunk of the Star Road and threw it at Diabella's head.

"HEY! What the hell!?" Diabella dropped her blade, threw off her helmet, turned and snarled back "What do you think you're doing, you idiot!?"

Ludwig growled back as he threw another chunk of crystal at her "I believe it was you who told me, I don't know whether to be impressed by your audacity or laugh at your pathetic incompetence."

She deflected it with her gauntlet "Don't take that tone with me, you anaemic blob of protoplasm!"

"You're being an anaemic blob of protoplasm! …whatever that is…" He then gestured to Wario, Waluigi and Daisy wildly as he screeched "You're literally being haunted by ghosts of the past to resolve a problem in the present day! That's so ridiculously dumb, even my uncle wouldn't do it!"

Bowser protested "Hey! I'm right here, you know!" He then thought about it "Actually I have done some dumb stuff in the past, but I'd never do something like this… this too stupid even for me."

"And as much as I hate to admit it…" Ludwig gritted through his fangs "He's right! This Lentinellus guy is making you regress into some psychopath edgelord… and that's not the Diabella I know. That's Astrapi! Some weirdo I've never met." Ludwig roared "So Astrapi, get out of Diabella's head! At least that drunk idiot makes sense from time to time!"

Diabella froze for a moment, carefully contemplating all that had been said. She shook her head, almost laughing and crying simultaneously "You're right… I was being pathetically incompetent… I was regressing to who I was and… well… I should've known better." She then yelped as Bowser hit the back of her head then sighed "Yeah… I deserved that…"

Their moment of revelation was cut short as a horrifying shriek pierced the air. Diabella, Ludwig and Bowser turned to a suspicious cloud of silver dust permeate the air and cloak Star Road. With each shriek, one of the ancestral souls was lodged from the body of a host. When the dust passed, Wario, Waluigi and Daisy were unconscious on the harlequin crystal path. The spirits of their ancestors were vanishing upwards in a trail of wispy smoke.

Bowser turned to his companions then back in the direction of the mist "I take it by your horrified faces that this isn't good…"

Lucia crudely explained as she caught up to them "You shouldn't be able to do that… theoretically, you can't do that with what looked like a giant, glittery fart…" She waved to him and Ludwig "Wendy is fine, she just passed out. That pink princess, the moustache brothers, Fandango and Gallileo are keeping her safe for now."

Diabella knelt down to retrieve her sword, she moved to a defensive stance in front of Bowser and Ludwig. "Don't move yet, he's skulking in the shadows… **as always!** One wrong move could trigger another weird spell like that."

Ludwig felt out of place among the others, his uncle while an idiot at times was still formidable warrior. His mother was a mage beyond compare while Diabella was champion swordswoman. While he… he felt like an exposed weakness of the group. His feeling was confirmed when he felt something loom behind him. "Ludwig!" Lucia cried as she grabbed him and held him close. Ludwig found himself buried in a hug, the first proper hug he could recall from his mother. It was rudely cut short as he noticed the long, crystalline blade sticking out of her head from between her eyes. She weakly smiled "Don't worry Ludwig, it's just a flesh wou-" Her form faded to the ether and vanished in a cloud of smoke. The mysterious blade vanished from sight, leaving Ludwig heartbroken and stunned. Bowser kept an eye on his surroundings too preoccupied with protection to worry about Lucia.

"She's just gone back to the Underwhere… she's fine." Diabella's attention diverted as she slashed wildly at the air and bellowed with rage "Lentinellus! Get out here!"

Pieces of the crystalline blade fell to the ground, Lentinellus finally emerged from the ether once the spell was undone. He was riding atop the monstrous form of Shalazia yet the deranged princess appeared more of a lumbering, mindless beast than an autonomous entity. The celestial pathway was tumbling over the sky like a ship being tossed in a storm. Robbed of its buildings and aura of serenity, it flimsily clung to existence as the natural state of sky returned.

"You broke my magic sword." Foreboding lingered in the air as the skies darkened further to match Lentinellus' mood. "And that whole confrontation was so touching. I had to stop and watch it because I barely believe my eyes… it was gross by the way. Horrifically disgusting and pathetic, just like the Arcane Archives all those years ago! Where people solved their problems with words rather than action." Lentinellus growled "I hadn't realised you'd become such a pansy over the years, Astrapi. Where's my grim and brooding edgelord?"

"Get back guys, he's aiming for me so get your friends to safety." Diabella gestured to Bowser and Ludwig to collect Daisy, Wario and Waluigi. She then shouted to him "You want a grim ending? I'll give you one!"

He shouted to Shalazia to lunge forward and destroy his opponents. A cruel smiled curled his lips when he watched his opponents scatter like cockroaches before him. Diabella's blade met Shalazia's talons as they clashed in the sky. Bowser and Ludwig ran in the opposite direction while carrying Wario, Waluigi and Daisy. They needed to regroup with the others and form a plan.


	14. A hard choice to make

They heard the clash of steel and crystal echo in the night. Mario quickly bounded to his feet and scaled the ruins that served as their shield and shelter. They were collectively on their way to the mysterious stairwell with Gallileo when the mysterious dust cloud blew over them; rendering Wendy unconscious. Lucia then moved with the speed of shadow to catch up with Bowser, Ludwig and Diabella. Mario was left as the main defence while Luigi and Peach tended to an unconscious Wendy. They alternated with Fandango to carry her, yet she was showing no signs of awakening soon. Meanwhile Gallileo was attempting to explain the mysterious prison of Eldstar as they carefully moved between ruins to avoid being noticed "Look, it's simple, it needs to be overloaded with a balance of darkness and light. A spell that can divert that weird charm Grambi gave you, channel the princess' inherited star power and the remnants of the Chaos Heart in green moustache and bam! We've made the contraption open to manipulation!"

Luigi felt most of this arcane talk go right over his head, probably why he preferred matters of science over the supernatural. "How do you know it will work?"

"Because the contraption is Lentinellus' poorly made replica of the Prism Star that Fandango and I made. So I know the theory very well… but if it'll work… I don't actually know, but in theory, this will give us the highest chance of working. The contraption seems to be locked because the elements of light and shadow are out of sync, so if I balance them, it should be functioning again." Gallileo shrugged "But to what purpose? I'm not sure, I was going to consult the people we're drawing magic from to decide."

Luigi sighed back, his mind was reeling from her rambling that it felt like he was talking to or Iggy. He tried to simplify it for his own sanity "Save Eldstar or move the stars back to where they belong? It's a tough choice."

"Are you guys alright with this choice? It's just… I don't have anyone else to ask."

"What would moving the stars achieve?"

"A return to the magic flow that was normal in our day, also disperses the power of stars and wishes to all kingdoms instead of it being concentrated over the Mushroom Kingdom."

"And if we release Eldstar?"

"Star Road remains but it's no longer under Lentinellus' control. I don't know, maybe this Eldstar would be a better custodian of it? Someone much more impartial in hearing and granting wishes?"

"So our choices are to try something different or return it to how it was?"

"You got it green moustache."

"Fandango… you've been quiet this whole time." Peach directed attention to relatively silent pyromancer "Is everything alright?"

He kept an eye over his shoulder for any other unusual magic phenomenon "It's just… I don't know what to do… my head's in such a panic… I'm not used to being made of meat and bone and it's really throwing me off… I was Shy Guy for ages so the transition is a bit… weird… like I'm not even in my body anymore." He shivered "Not to mention it feels weird not to have my chain chomps with me in a fight situation… I feel so vulnerable and useless… Probably why Gallileo doesn't want me for the spell to free this Eldstar."

"That's nonsense!" Gallileo protested "I need you to conjure fire and lots of it to stop anyone from interrupting the spell!"

"Oh… is that all?"

"I know what you mean though," Mario spoke without turning to them, he kept watching the silhouettes of battle in the distance, only dimly lit by the remains of Star Road. "I'm not sure if I can be of much help either…"

"You still got that magic spark from Grambi in you?" Mario nodded back, Gallileo grinned "Keep it for now, I won't drain you, we might need that power."

The clean strikes of melee were joined by quickened stomps. They quickly grew louder until they masked the fighting as a lumbering giant overlooked the ruined wall. Bowser was nearly breathless with Wario and Waluigi in his arms. Ludwig was beside him, carrying Daisy.

Gallileo asked a single question "Where's Lucia and Diabella?"

"Diabella is fighting off Lentinellus and Shalazia…" Ludwig grew solemn "Mum is… she saved me and was sent back to the Underwhere by Lentinellus."

Before anyone could speak, Gallileo nodded back then gestured them all to follow quietly. The stairwell in question was so mundane that if you were to find it, you'd have to be shown. A dark little stairwell hidden amongst castle ruins that looked so ordinary you'd have thought it led to a dank and dingy cellar. The haunting ebon miasma that shone like a starry night hinted of its unique properties. Gallileo descended first, yawning out of existence as the mist swallowed her. Reluctant but understanding, the others followed after her, each vanishing into the vapour and disappearing to a pocket of reality within Star Road.

* * *

The alternate dimension revealed a twisted domain where the earth was sky and sky was the earth. Everything seemed to swirl and stagger in a perpetual maelstrom of light and darkness. The air was heavy yet one's steps felt light. A hurricane raged yet there was no sound. Time was near impossible to decipher as both the moon in all its phases and the sun were visible no matter where you stood. Anchored in the eye of this natural pandemonium was an island of floating stone with pieces of stairwell leading to it like a poorly made bridge. The door from which they had entered was a shadowy cloud at the top of these stony islands.

Gallileo led them to the central island, gesturing them to place the incapacitated on the ground as there was enough space. In the middle of it all was a prismatic star, etched with iridescent golden thread that looked like it was knitted by a hurried spider. If one looked close enough, beneath the crystal shell, one could see a trapped Star Spirit. Mario recognised the long grey moustache instantly, he recoiled in horror "Eldstar!"

Bowser followed the plumbers gaze, he moaned "So these Prism Stars really are nothing more than ways of trapping magical creatures… that's disappointing. I just wanted a really fancy gem to show off and rub in Wario's face."

"Firstly, **that's not a Prism Star! It's a fake copy!** And how do you think I feel? Fandango and I designed these traps yonks ago!" Gallileo huffed and put her hands on her hips "And Lentinellus just uses them on a whim! Then wrecks the design with his pathetic adaptations!? What a jerk!"

Peach tapped the glass and saw Eldstar look towards her "This is what you need our magic for."

"Exactly, recalibrate the shell then decide whether to use the power contained within or release the trapped entity. We can't do both. These stars are designed to either trap or execute and expend the prisoner's magic to release it back into the balance of nature… but it ends the game of the one who is trapped…" Gallileo noticed the stares from Bowser, Luigi, Mario and Peach, she defensively remarked "Look, godlike magical entities were rampant dangers and malevolent back in our day, we had to think of something to protect ourselves from them."

"I understand the need for these crystal traps but Star Spirits are benevolent in nature," Peach nodded wisely "I say we release him."

Luigi nodded "I think so too. It's not right for him to be stuck in there."

Peach looked to him "Well Ludwig? What do you think?"

He spluttered back, still feeling sick from the whole incident "Me!? But why?"

"Because you're an amazing shadow mage, we all saw you back in the Mushroom Kingdom and Gallileo needs another shadow mage to balance the star out." Peach asked him expectantly "So what do we do once we start the spell?"

Ludwig thought carefully for a moment "Release Eldstar… let's try something different."

"If you guys believe that we give this Eldstar a chance, so be it."

Before they could begin the complex spell, the entire chamber rocked violently. Mario and Bowser looked to each other with a mix of courage and uncertainty. They then both nodded to each other and began to climb back up the stairs. All Mario said was "Fandango, protect everyone using your flames. We'll handle Lentinellus."

As they ascended and Fandango laid his defensive spells, Peach noticed something off about the island around Eldstar's prison. The intricately carved runes in the stone that resembled the patterns in the chamber where Shalazia attempted to rebuild the Prism Star. She wondered whether this was the cause of Gallileo's delayed return to Star Road; had she hastily carved this intricate web of runic circles in the stone? The cracked stone and flecks of rubble on the ground and the dusty dirt caked on Gallileo's hands and satchel indicated as much. Peach immediately protested "Is this a trap!? The runes… they're the same from earlier."

Ludwig inspected the runes closer with a careful eye "Maybe, it's the same script but a different formation."

"Well… I wasn't entirely honest about the spell… you see, it's a replica of the casting style Diabella and I used on the Shadow Queen and Jaydes. The idea is that one person or many people supply excess magic while one caster channels it." Gallileo led them around the runic circle, noting the three empty spaces in the patterns "Ludwig, you'll take the lead in channelling the magic as you're the most competent here in casting spells. Peach, you'll be supplying a conduit of light magic while Luigi, you'll be supplying a conduit of dark magic. One conducts while the others provide the music, so to say."

"You got my name right," Luigi felt foolish for the small victory then pried "Then why aren't you leading it?"

"Because if Diabella is slain above us, Fandango and I fade away and the spell fails and Eldstar doesn't get freed leaving Lentinellus to continue as he is!" She adjusted her coat and calmed herself "So we can't be part of the spell but we can set it up for you to increase the chances of success." Gallileo bowed to them "If you'll kindly take your places in the circle, I'll direct you through the spell as best I can."

"How can we trust you?"

"I have nothing to gain from fooling you and clearly, we're out of options of how to undo this mess." Gallileo sighed "You can design spells and relics with the best of intentions, but the nature of good or evil comes down to how they're used. I want this false star broken! It's an insult to our work!"

Luigi, Peach and Ludwig took their places around Eldstar's prison. Under Gallileo's gentle encouragement yet firm direction, they began to focus their minds in ways they didn't know were possible. Peach felt the warmth of sunlight breathed through her as the ingrained light of her lineage shone. Luigi was afraid at first, feeling like eyes were watching him from the darkness and that ghosts would haunt him in the dark. His mood soon changed with Gallileo's whispers, he found the darkness soothing like an illuminated moonlit night where everything was dark yet revealed in a placid silver glow. Ludwig could feel their mingling interpretations of light and darkness, the way they had reached similar feelings of solace and reprieve that they harmonised through him. But the song of darkness and light wasn't strong enough yet, he'd have to wait for it to build to crescendo before he could conduct the music.


	15. Let them curse me

Hot fire licked at their footsteps as they reappeared on Star Road. Mario and Bowser could see the fight in the distance. The giant lumbering beast of Shalazia with Lentinellus riding atop her and the figure of Diabella, so small in comparison, was leaping and darting to strike valiantly against her opponents. She continued to dodge and counter every lumbering swipe that would swat someone out of existence, moving with such fluidity it was hard to ascertain where she was attacking from. Shalazia's body rippled frantically, producing all manner of spikes like an echidna, to ward Diabella off yet she evaded each wave of spikes with elegant precision. Tiny minions of pixelated chaos spawned rapidly near Shalazia, yet each wave was dispatched with ease by Diabella's blade.

The air felt lightning now the Star Road was in shambles. Diabella found the crystal beneath her feet almost bounced to her presence. She manipulated it to her advantage as she bounded over enemy swarms, getting close enough to scale part of Shalazia's body. With a great swipe of her blade, she sliced two of Shalazia's main legs away. The abomination howled and hobbled to regain balance, throwing Diabella off to land atop a pile of pixelated creatures. Lentinellus then noticed the cracks in Diabella's armour, the scratches and scars that marred her image.

A smile twisted his lips as he realised "You can't use magic at all, can you?" He laughed cruelly "Even with the power of the Shadow Queen, you can't be fully restored to what you were! Oh, how lovely, I bet you even used all your power to even summon the Lord of Lightning to send you here. No wonder he's disappeared so quickly, you have no magical bond with him anymore." He could see Diabella growing more agitated as she swatted a scintillating pixel minion from her sight. "That's why you came with so many at your side! You needed them because you're still broken from the ritual." He continued with another laugh "What was it? You were branded as your kingdom's greatest traitor after you freed the Shadow Queen from the Prism Star shortly after the ritual was completed, did you think she could really save a glitch like you? Your people cursed your name for the rest of history to the point where any mention was stricken from memory and history."

"While you watching everything unfold from your gilded throne." Diabella shook her head at him "I care not for those who called me a traitor, they cursed me with their dying breath… but I have a new kingdom now… this is a new world order… a new game…" She readied her blade again "And I will not let you destroy this one according to your selfish whims."

"You mean that scummy pond with a pest problem, filled with a bunch of worthless layabouts, don't make me laugh! You've fallen too far to be worth anything." Lentinellus was clearly growing annoyed as he snapped to the enthralled Shalazia "Just finish her already! She's beneath you! She's not the fearsome warlord she once was. She's changed!"

Diabella feigned left, to quickly sheath her blade to better scale the side of Shalazia to stab a scalpel into Lentinellus' shoulder before he warded her away with an arrow of conjured light. Diabella shouted "Exactly, and I'm not going to let you change me back!" as she bounded back to evade another attack from Shalazia.

Lentinellus ripped the blade from his arm "Still hiding daggers in your undergarments, huh?"

She shouted back "It's a scalpel, dimwit! Get it right!"

"Why did you listen to a pair of savage lizards anyway!? They're disgusting, slimy and ugly!"

"But they had a good point, and given the changes I've seen to the Koopa Kingdom… I know that Bowser wasn't just making stuff up to calm me. Also, Ludwig… really put me in my place."

"Well once I'm done with you, I will vaporise the Koopa Kingdom like you were meant to during the Era of Ire before you decided to plot against me!"

"No way!" Bowser stormed forward punching one of Shalazia's claws away with ease before it stomped on Diabella. "The Koopa Kingdom will go on forever, you sparkling weirdo! Also, amphibians are slimy, NOT REPTILES!" He glanced back at Diabella, nodded knowingly then roared "And traitors stick together!" Before punching Shalazia's claw a second time to shatter it in two. The twisted fragments splayed unevenly from her elbow joint in a burst of glitter. Bowser quietly remarked to Diabella "My dad wasn't exactly pleased with how I ruled the kingdom so… he had a habit of cursing me and calling me a traitor til the day he died…"

Diabella felt awkward by his admittance and explained her confusion as "I'm just not sure if traitors are capable of cooperating… that's all. It's a vernacular problem."

They divided as Shalazia lunged at them, crashing clumsily into the ground at full speed. A blur of red and blue then shot past, Mario propelled himself high before stomping on Shalazia's head, or at least where he surmised her head to be among the disorientating pixels. Shalazia feebly recoiled back to avoid another attack from Mario, whimpering in an unintelligible shriek of white noise. Mario landed, pacing back to put distance between him and his foe to better survey her. He then felt the presence of Bowser and Diabella flanking his sides. Each braced themselves to take an offensive stance. As Diabella drew her sword and Bowser flexed his talons, Mario felt Grambi's power surge through him to illuminate his fists in golden light.

Lentinellus reeled Shalazia to lumber back towards his opponents. He growled at the defiant trio "Do you think you can beat me with Grambi's glitter!?"

Diabella rolled her eyes "I was just planning on sticking a sword through your head."

Mario clicked his fingers to finish the spell on him, causing his hands to power up and blaze with a hot white flame "I'm more a fan of fighting with fire."

Bowser sighed to himself, then nodded "I reckon Grambi is an idiot if he thinks I need his power to beat you. I also think we need to… diversify our skills." Bowser channelled darkness through him as he spoke in tongues and shed his corporeal form. All that remained was a hulking, undead skeleton blazing with powers of the Underwhere. He breathed a dark ectoplasmic mist from his nostrils as his eyes glowed blood red.

"Nice…" marvelled Diabella "Why don't you walk around like this more often?"

Bowser flexed his bones, adjusting to feeling every articulation of his flesh freed body "I get cold."

"Wait a minute… you can just become Dry Bowser whenever you want?" Mario was shocked, recalling every previous fight against the Koopa King. "But… how… why?"

"It's a long story, prank of my sister gone wrong so now I'm part… skeleton? A bit why I've always been a bit obsessed with magic relics, I was hoping maybe something would help undo it but… hey, other stuff happens and I get distracted from my main motivation." Bowser snapped back at Mario's confusion "Oh come on!? How many times have you beaten me and I've never had so much as a scratch on me!? Didn't you ever think that was weird? Did you also forget that I'm actually pretty good at magic, I just don't like using it!?"

"Well… with a sister like Lucia I can see why…"

"HEY! I'm the only one allowed to bad mouth my sister! You shut up!"

Diabella moved before them to slice through a swarm of pixelating minions attempting to blindside them. After arcing her blade in a definitive swing, she said without looking back at them "Boys, focus! We need to beat Shalazia so we can stop these spawning minions and reach Lentinellus. Got it!?"

Bowser punched a larger pixel minion in what he assumed to be its throat. Then swept low to grab hold of Shalazia's descending claw. He struggled against it as the two were in a gridlock of wills. "But how are we going to do that!?"

Mario then recalled how he, Luigi and Peach dismantled the original spawning towers. He snapped his fingers after finishing off the larger pixel minion with a combo of kicks and punches. Shimmering golden light pulsed through the creature for a moment before it disintegrated. "I got it!"

"You got it?" Bowser twisted his grip, ripping another clawed limb from Shalazia's main body.

"First we got to be able to climb her upper body."

Diabella slid beneath Shalazia's body, her sword was impaled through the crystal and being dragged through by the momentum. Shalazia screeched as the blade finished its journey, she dropped to the ground in a scream of white noise to resemble a beached giant Blooper. Her limbs contorting to be more flexible like tentacles rather than proper arms.

"Like that!" Mario beamed.

"Like what?" Diabella didn't pause as she continued her onslaught of stabbing and slashing through the fray. She frowned as she saw Lentinellus floating overhead looking amused and smug now that Shalazia was incapacitated.

"We better move quickly!" Bowser pointed to the way Shalazia's crystalline body was crackling and bubbling as her wounds began to close again. "What's the plan red stache!?"

"I use the light to mark her weak points then you and Diabella take them out."

"On it!" Bowser and Diabella responded as they circled around opposite sides of Shalazia.

Shalazia continued to flail and struggle against their onslaught. Even in her mentally debilitated state she could still feel basic thoughts. She could see people trying to fight her and hurt her yet couldn't surmise why. Then overhead was the golden one, the light of her life and all he was doing was snidely watching her fight. It was alright when he was beside her, whispering words of encouragement and adoration. Now he had abandoned her… Why was she even fighting anymore?

Bowser pummelled the ground with a double stomp, dislodging fragments of Star Road. Mario and Diabella used the momentum of the fracturing road to propel themselves upwards. Mario had leapt to a shorter height, allowing a quick descent atop Shalazia. He systematically started punching the higher parts of Shalazia's form, yet noticed the frozen princess atop the pixelated madness was still. Her arms were by her side as she stared upwards, not caring what fate befell her. Mario was distracted as the light from his strikes began to writhe and shimmer through Shalazia's cursed form. Some came to rest at certain nodes of light within the crystal across her body. In the chaos of it all, Mario shook his foot loose of the growing crystals and went to Shalazia's side.

At the same time, Diabella had leapt much higher and descended blade down to impale the largest node of light in Shalazia's body. Bowser followed through scaling the crooked remains of her skittering body to smash his talons through other nodes of light. Diabella proceeded to do the same on the opposing side as she and Bowser administered the lethal acupuncture. Each successful piercing resulted in an eruption of light from the initial puncture and sprays of molten stardust into the night air. Cracks began to form in Shalazia's body as it struggled to regenerate and fight back against their actions.

Shalazia could feel nothing by now, she was done, she was tired. Everything she had done had been for nothing. She then felt a hand on what remained of her shoulder. She turned to see Mario by her side, a comforting presence to her demise. He remained with her as she felt what remained of her tired and broken body crack and blister. She was sure it would be agony, yet there was no feeling of pain. Shalazia watched as the sky above her filled with the miasma of light erupting from her pixelated body. It slowly began to shatter and fade to be scattered by the cold wind of night.

In the final moments of her conscious memory, she saw Diabella, the sister she had wronged and cursed by her side too. She saw Bowser, a ruler of a kingdom she despised was standing with her too. The frozen princess wept as she faded from existence…

The tense silence was heavy in the air as Shalazia vanished into nothing. Their plan had worked.

Bowser was the first to speak "She… she didn't even fight back…"

Mario took off his hat in a gesture of mourning "I think she was ready to die."

"Thankyou." Diabella remarked, tears budding in her eyes "She has been a lost and tormented soul for too long… now she can finally be at peace." She raised a hand to silence Mario and Bowser, calmly informing "We did what had to be done. Simple as that."

"Oh, how I grow sick of this spectacle!" Lentinellus' voice boomed overhead, reminding them of his presence out of harm's way "This is so boring and stupid, not to mention wimpy, weak, pathetic. I didn't know modern heroes were so sappy. So many emotions, you want to cry about it?"

"She just lost her sister!" Mario snarled back, he could no longer contain his anger "How can you be this cruel? What kind of leader are you!?"

"Don't get so uppity, boy. My actions benefited your bloodline. Romulus' family would not have the prestige, power or privilege it does now without my formation of the Mushroom Kingdom."

"That doesn't make it right! You have all this power, why are you always using it to hurt people!?"

"Because why not? I'm great, it's why I have all the power in the first place. There's nothing anyone can do to stop me or tell me otherwise."

"You… you're just filled with greed…" Mario's anger cooled to a bitter rage as he realised Lentinellus could not be reasoned with. "I will end you!"

Lentinellus waved his arms as he floated overhead. He conjured more Star Spirits who were cursed into unnatural formations; a legion of golems in gilded armour and crystalline weapons manifested around Star Road. He leered "Come get me, hero."


	16. Duality

The sky was ablaze with light like a sea of stars had appeared to fight them. Mario surveyed his opponents carefully, their extravagant appearances reminded him of Shalazia's realm. The golems were nothing more than a gilded relic of an opulent dream, yet he suspected they were still just as lethal. He began to understand Diabella's frustration with such an opponent. At every turn he had a sly trick up his sleeve. Lentinellus seemed to bargain with lives too easily, that despite all the power he commanded he always risked someone else's wellbeing when it came to dangerous situations. He only remained powerful because he stepped on so many others and made them take the risks instead of him. So when every risk fell through, the unknowing lackey suffered while he reaped the rewards. Mario was livid, he had fought so many elite foes yet none were as cowardly and arrogant as Lentinellus. The golden monarch's fighting style only reflected this epitome further; throwing waves of minions at his opponents rather than facing them.

A casual leer and regal wave from Lentinellus was all that gilded army needed to see. The swarm of gold and pearl creatures descended like a tidal wave that obscured the night sky. For a moment, all went still as Mario felt so tiny, so dwarfed by oncoming onslaught. He glanced to Bowser, sharing that same level of apprehension that he felt at that moment. Diabella on the other hand was calm, blade ready as she waited for them to come. Mario wondered how many times had she been in a situation like this? All odds against you as your impending doom begin to surge towards you in a flood. Maybe she had been scared at one time, yet that time had passed long ago.

Diabella spoke calmly to them "We keep close, watch each other's back and stay on the defensive… maybe we'll make it through this."

Mario replied "Won't know until we try…"

"Oh forget that moping, whining junk!" Bowser snapped "We're awesome! We will make it through this!"

"Wait a minute…" Diabella listened carefully to the wind "Can you hear that?"

The deluge of golems was swept out of sight abruptly. Dark clouds manifested from nowhere to choke their sight and movements. The sky growled with thunder than flashed with light. The shadows cast across the sky showed the golems scattering, many were ripped asunder by the magnitude of the lightning bolt. The air then began to buzz with a strange echo. Within seconds the sky was blotted by swarms of giant insects. Finally from the midst of the dark clouds rose Silhouetta, Bismillah and Beelzebub. The innards revealed in the gaps of their exoskeletons were still glowing with electricity.

"They… they came?" Diabella wondered as her most loyal invertebrates soared overhead into the growing clash of giant insects and golems.

"Sounds like a lot of people from Rhapsody came. Look!" Mario pointed to Magnifico flying on her broom among other aerial bohemians. Scaramouch was poised atop a flying beetle, ready to drop bombs on unsuspecting golems.

A golem crashed to Star Road, too wounded and broken to take flight. Diabella and Mario reacted quickly, he clobbered the creature's head while she drove her blade into its chest. The creature erupted in a burst of light and stardust.

Bowser was distracted as he had heard familiar cries, taking note of the remaining Koopalings and his son in the skirmish. "Damn kids… I thought they were going back to the party in Rhapsody! And how did they thaw Junior out so quickly!?"

Diabella shrugged back "Some of the Magikoopas probably had a crack at it."

Bowser felt his heart nearly stop at the sight of Roy and Morton flinging Bowser Junior like they were playing a game of aerial volleyball between them. They were also treating Lemmy the same way but he seemed to be used to it. The two smaller Koopas were being launched at their opponents to either distract or damage parts of the golem so another bug or fighter could swoop in and finish them off. It seemed as though their team along with Magnifico and a few Paratroopas were responsible for diverting attention away from the others. Bowser covered his eyes when he saw Larry accidentally fall from the giant fly he was riding, only after opening he realised Scaramouch had flown nearby to catch him. Iggy appeared to be most at ease among the giant insect swarm as he casually bounded between different insects mid-flight. Bowser felt somewhat perturbed and relieved when he realised he could still hear his nephews and son cackling loudly amidst the pandemonium unfolding overhead.

"Don't get too angry with them," Mario pointed out "It looks as though the party in Rhapsody has ended up in the sky."

"Guess we can focus on the big boss then!" Bowser surveyed the landscape quietly then erupted "WHERE DID THAT JERK GO!?"

"He can't have gone far, those golems are only working because he's nearby." Diabella sheathed her blade, then gestured them to follow "He's probably hiding somewhere around here, maybe there's another doorway like the place he stashed that Eldstar spirit."

Bowser refocused himself now he was mildly convinced his family was safe enough "Any ideas where to try first?"

Mario then perked up "Wait a minute, I have an idea. I've been here a few times so… there's this weird shrine along the path, it's a bit isolated but it's ancient. You people from the past seem to like temples and shrines so maybe he went there?"

Diabella nodded to him "Lead the way then."

Even in the distorted ruins of the Star Road, Mario could sense that the Star Shrine was still active. Perhaps it was because he was a Star Child? Or maybe he picked up the sense when he visited it with Luigi a few years ago; when time and space distorted under the power of the Cobalt Star which permitted him a glimpse of the ancient temple. He didn't like to dwell on it much. He always felt matters of magic were a bit beyond his understanding, like he understood the basics but would never try casting any kind of spell. The Star Shrine was a beacon to him on the Star Road and oddly enough he could almost hear it crying in pain… it made him hasten his step as he lead Bowser and Diabella onwards into the night. He could only hope the ritual to free Eldstar was progressing smoothly.

* * *

"This is a nice garden you've made." Gallileo remarked as she wandered with Peach through the rolling fields of rainbow flowers. The hills lulled towards the horizon beneath a gentle sunny day. The refreshing breeze made the plants dance, resembling a rainbow sea rather than a field.

"I know, I love the gardens at the palace but I still adore the natural world."

"Do you find it hard to balance it? You know, being a monarch which is expected to be all orderly and proper… and just being you, a complex and incomplete individual?"

Peach reluctantly admitted "It is hard…"

"Were you on the throne from a young age?"

"I was a newborn when I was crowned… I was too young to be considered a queen so everyone called me a princess, it stuck and I still get called a princess, even though I'm an adult now."

"What happened to your parents? It's just… rather odd for a baby to be the leader of a kingdom."

"My father died on a diplomatic trip, he underestimated the local wildlife. My mother died giving birth to me, so I was mostly raised by the Toads… my people."

"So that's why your people adore you so much, you're all family rather than a formal kingdom."

"It's also why I remain in the Mushroom Kingdom rather than move to a human city or kingdom." Peach nervously muttered "I mean… wow… I… I haven't opened up like this anyone… I'm sorry… I shouldn't be so sad about things like that…"

"You cannot feel happiness without sadness, you cannot have light without darkness."

Peach gently smiled as she turned to continue surveying the wildflowers. This place was so surreal, the dappled light made everything seem like a beautiful painting. Each flower a gorgeous brushstroke amidst tones of green and yellow. Yet she could see the only reason the colours looked so vibrant was a result of the depths and tones of the rainbow caused by mixes of shadow and light.

* * *

The stream bubbled and flowed through the dark forest. Luigi had found a peaceful place upon a stone bridge with Gallileo leaning at a railing. The cobblestone was overgrown with moss which made the path soft and welcoming to tread on. He listened for the song of the insects in the grasses, the frogs in the reeds and the owls in the trees. The strange tune reminded him that he wasn't alone as he joined Gallileo at the railing. They watched the river without talking for a while.

Gallileo finally smirked to him "You seem calmer."

"I am," Luigi continued watching the silvery stream through the forest "It's strange, I really enjoy all this supernatural stuff… but I'm still terrified of it… I've always been scared of everything… it's why Mario is so brave, he's had to help me my whole life."

"Is it fear or a healthy amount of respect for the unknown?"

"It's a burden."

"Why a burden?"

"I'm not as brave as Mario… it must be so hard for him to have a brother like me."

"But didn't you pursue King Boo after he kidnapped Mario? You were armed with a vacuum cleaner too…? I'm not sure, King Boo was rather sketchy about the details. He still won't keep a vacuum cleaner in his manor."

"The poltergust! Yeah, it's this really cool invention by , he's a leading researcher on everything but ghosts seem to be his personal favourite."

"So the one who is terrified of ghosts is the one pursuing them?"

"Some aren't so bad, like there's this doggy ghost that follows me around some times. He's nice, really friendly pup."

"Aw, you probably remind him of his former owner."

"But… that's really sad though, because I've never had a dog so how could I remind him of his owner?"

"Maybe it's your temperament? Animals are pretty sensitive to stuff like that."

"Maybe… hey, I'm sorry about putting you in the poltergust a while back."

"Understandable, besides it's not like I got hurt."

Luigi smiled back at Gallileo. "I'm glad you're not offended or hurt."

"It's not the strangest thing I was trapped in as a Boo. Got stuck in a well once and people flocked to it thinking that I was an oracle. It was very awkward trying to be an oracle…"

"What was it like being a Boo?"

"Pretty scary first up, mainly because when you respawn firstly you have no memories of your past life and secondly you have a completely new spectral body to get used to. But… you get used to the body soon enough and if you're lucky, your memories may come back. I used to tend to that underground garden near the Twisted Manors… did so for many years. The statues there just felt familiar, then I saw Diabella near the statue of her one day and it all just… clicked."

"It does sound scary, but I guess it's nice to have answers too. Like the unknown is what keeps us alive because we want to know things…"

They fell silent again, watching the stream a little more before Luigi parted ways with Gallileo. He meandered down the path, daring not to stray from it. The surrounding forest was littered with ancient burial sites, the owls had dissipated to be replaced by crows and ravens. He felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of it all. His knees quaking as his pace slowed. Yet he remained focused on that old dirt path through the forest and kept moving forward.

* * *

Red and purple velvet draped around the stage to frame it in billowing waves. Ludwig froze atop his platform, the place reserved for the conductor. He felt his breath grow short and his heart beat faster as the various empty seats before him were slowly becoming occupied by shadowy figures. It was hard to tell what they were as they remained in ambiguous shapes; however each brought an instrument to play. Some were modern in design, others were older and some were so ancient that Ludwig had to no idea what sound they would make.

"Looks like your orchestra is assembling." Gallileo sat in the front row of the darkened concert hall with a blank program in hand. "I can't wait to hear your work."

"I hope it goes better than last time," Ludwig nervously laughed "My first attempts of writing and performing music went terribly… I'm still so humiliated by it all…"

"But it is only through our failures that we learn something so we can improve our skills."

"Easy for you to say, you were born with this stuff so it comes to you naturally."

"I assure you, my siblings and I have had our successes and about three times the amount of failures… the only reason we're skilled is because we learned from our failures and kept practicing until we got it." Gallileo snorted a laugh "Also, **you never stop learning!** So of course we seem amazing, we've been alive for… uh… now that I think about I'm not sure… but at least a thousand years… maybe? I don't know, you stop counting after a few decades."

"But what if I fail now? There's so much at stake…"

"Then you pick yourself up and start again. You know the steps to the spell so you should be able to repeat it."

He rolled his eyes "You make it sound so easy."

"Does it have to be complicated?"

Ludwig paused in careful contemplation, and then finally replied "I guess it doesn't have to be."

He turned back to his growing orchestra, his panic of the unknown, of failure, was less of a taunting scream or snarky critic that couldn't be ignored. Now it was more like the comment sections he saw on the internet; inane and mostly confusing at the best of times. He could hear the doors of the hall swing open while the shadowy orchestra began tuning their respective instruments. Ludwig felt the spotlight on him and for once didn't feel exposed or afraid of it being there.

* * *

Her mind's eye closed, Gallileo roused back in reality, she was pleased by the individual progress in their separate meditations. She still remained in Eldstar's prison, feeling the chamber rock violently every so often. She could only assume the fighting was still unfolding on Star Road. Yet the fact she hadn't despawned was a sign that Diabella still lived. Gallileo briefly checked in on Daisy, Wendy, Wario and Waluigi; ensuring they were breathing and had a steady pulse. Possession was always taxing on the living and a crude exorcism only made the process more risky. Her brow furrowed, sensing that each individual had lower body temperatures than before.

She called to Fandango, who was busy maintaining the barrier that kept them safe from the chaos on Star Road. "They're fading… Lentinellus didn't even care about what happened to them…"

He went to her side "I feared the case but what could we say to them? It's like having your soul ripped from your body? How could they understand?"

"More importantly, what can we do to save them?"

"I… I have a thought… but it's… well… it's not that great for us…" Fandango saw Gallileo gesture to him to continue with his suggestion "We could, you know, we could despawn and use the life force of these bodies to stabilise them."

"I… well… it's just… it's been so long since we **had** bodies, and we had to do some dangerous things to get them."

"I get it, it feels horrible to just throw away the Shadow Queen's gift on a whim. But if we don't do something, they will die."

"And they don't deserve to because we roped them into this. We're the ones who cause this…"

"So how should we do this?"

Gallileo looked back at Ludwig, Peach and Luigi positioned around the imprisoned Eldstar. She ordered clearly "We'll cast it when they're ready to cast their own spell. They won't need us here by then."

Fandango nodded solemnly in reply then he turned to tend to the fires.


	17. Rising Star

Time had not been kind to the Star Shrine. In the past the shrine had been orderly, crystal columns lined the interior to hold up a nebulous sky. Stained glass windows in celestial patterns were splashed in sections across the gemstone walls. The floor was made from condensed starlight, emitting a gentle hum and shimmering beneath each step. The doors were all shaped like stars, the only intricate architecture which made them stand out against the serene minimalism of the rest of the shrine's structure. With recent events and realising that Lentinellus has been masquerading behind the power of Star Road for so long… Mario wondered whether this was simply the true state of the Star Shrine and what he witnessed in the past was just another meticulously crafted illusion.

The same serene, crystal surroundings were tainted beyond repair. Twisted metal cages that had been wrenched apart lay in shambled piles at the corners of the room. The strange drag marks on the ground and the clawing at the walls looked at first to be the result of a fight. The more sobering truth was that is looked like prisoners had been dragged someplace within the shrine. The crystal structures were dull, chipped and neglected. The stained glass windows and ceiling were cracked allowing nebulous night to drip and ooze from the broken pieces. The leaking cosmic sludge smelt like rotting flesh, the scent was intensified by the narrow corridors. Mario noticed the strange stains on various surfaces, some were in hues of green, opaque whiteness and sticky glitter in all colours. More frightful was the surrounding damage to the shrine with each stain and smear, like there had been fight.

Diabella pointed to a greenish stain and stated "Vim," then to an opaque one "Ectoplasm," then to the glitter, unsure of what to call it first then tentatively attempted "Star… goo?"

Bowser huffed "You're just making stuff up."

Mario understood what she was implying "Bodily fluids of Toads, Shaydes and Star Spirits…"

She nodded back "It seems we've found Lentinellus' laboratory. I always suspected he had one, but I never thought he'd go to these lengths to hide it."

"It's an awful mess! I mean, at least yours was tidy." Bowser growled to himself "Not even Iggy leaves the lab in a mess. Iggy! IGGY! Do you understand how hard it is to get him to focus on things once he's excited?"

As they bickered, they did not see the lurking shadows. They fell silent at the sound of something heavy and wet slapping against the walls and floor with sickening squelch. Diabella and Mario hid behind broken rubble while Bowser stood in the open. The source of the sounds was a large mass of congealed flesh. They could not decipher what it was, yet it seemed like a visceral form of Shalazia's mutated state. Yet this being was no Shalazia. It seemed to have too many heads, whimpering and lost and speaking in tongues. Mario then noticed the spotted caps amongst the mucous. The distinct stench from the creature was one he had smelled all over the Shroobs when they had attacked the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Yeah, I'm not touching you." Bowser growled as he stepped back from the advancing pile of slimy misery.

Mario told him "Burn it."

Bowser shrugged, breathing in for a moment to then spew blue and violet flames across the creature. They heard the haunting chorus of screams as it burned to ashes in an instant. Bowser then turned to his companions "And… that thing was?"

"I'm guessing… they were once Toads." Mario took his hat off again in solemn respect for the dead "They stank of Vim and maybe that's what happens when you drain it from them…"

"You mean, you squish the goo out of Toads and their husks merge together to make that?"

Diabella stepped out into the open "If that's the case, how long has that one been here?" They heard the hallways creak "I wonder what else he's hiding."

Bowser rolled his eyes as he and Mario followed after Diabella "Alright, what's the deal? Did you guys just have no hobbies back in the day? Cause all this is really messed up."

Diabella smirked then jested "We had plenty hobbies, thankyou. Besides it's not like you can talk, kidnapping a princess over and over to sate some weird Dark Kingdom tradition."

"I changed that tradition! We don't **eat** the princess anymore! Besides the logic of eating a princess gives you magic powers is just silly."

"That princess eating tradition came in the wake of the Koopa Empire's fall. People were scared and willing to believe anything to protect their home."

"Then I'm guessing all the weird, freaky, scary and downright gross tales, traditions and folklore came from your era?"

Diabella nodded knowingly then reminded "In hindsight, a lot of traditions and tales from our era are warnings, not aspirations." She coldly ordered them "Do not replicate anything you've seen here. Some things are better left forgotten."

"Nah, I couldn't deal with stench and I doubt anyone would want to clean up after all this."

"How can you joke at a time like this?" Mario shook his head at Diabella "Like I understand you, this is kind of your thing. But Bowser, really!?"

Bowser shrugged back, then chortled, rattling his clavicle against his sternum to produce a haunting wail "What else can we do?" He then pointed to Diabella "And don't get me wrong, I still don't like you as a person. I'm still not going to forgive you for letting Lucia delve into the dark arts like that."

They noticed Diabella raise a finger to call for silence; the reason for which was the heavy runic door slightly ajar. Sickly light poured from the tiny crack as the heavy crystal was so ancient it had become opaque from odd stains inflicted upon its surface. As Mario was the nimblest of the group, he wordlessly moved forward to catch a glimpse of what was in the chamber ahead. Within was a strange altar, akin to the sacrificial chamber Shalazia had used. Only this chamber had been modified greatly with more modern adaptations. Spindly crystal apparatus hung from the ceiling while tubes bubbling with various bodily fluids breathed through the walls. The entire chamber felt almost alive as it shivered with breath. The heart, for lack of a better word, was a strange orb pulsing in the opposite wall that fed the fluids through the tubes. Lentinellus was at the heart of it, scurrying about the chamber looking for something in a frantic panic. Mario watched him grow desperate, ripping a tube from the wall to drink the foul liquids within.

Mario didn't understand what Lentinellus was up to, but he knew he had to stop him. The plumber charged into the chamber, ignoring all the twisted machinations around him to punch Lentinellus in the face. The golden adonis tumbled to the ground as he spat out the strange concoction. Mario knew he probably didn't want to know, but his curiosity got the better of him. The fluid churning through the tubes swirled with green, silver and gold. "What is this stuff?"

"Souls from the Shaydes, Vim from the Toads, Wishes from the Stars, sadly the Shamans could not be used so I dealt with them accordingly." Lentinellus preened with all the grandeur he could muster in his weakened state, always up for a moment to perform a dramatic monologue "Don't you understand? These creatures… these lowly **things** have all this power and no desire or capacity to properly wield it… it's just such a cruel joke. I have the innovative and forward thinking mind to do something great with them. Why are you trying to stop me? You were fine with what I made, why can't you just drop it?"

Mario snarled back "Because everything you've done just benefits you! You have no noble thoughts or compassion, you're just a smug, arrogant… uh… bad man who has no interest in anything other hand himself!"

Bowser corrected "Narcissist! That's the word you're looking for."

"Really? Thankyou, I just couldn't remember it." Mario's momentary lapse into his usual cheery self then returned to indignation "I am sick of this! I am sickened by how long you've gotten away with all this!"

Bowser stomped his feet "YEAH! So no more hiding! We're finishing this now!"

Lentinellus pleaded "If I could play devil's advocate-"

Bowser replied in a dead panned tone "No, you may not."

Lentinellus let out a high pitched squeal as he narrowly evaded Diabella's blade. She had used the opportunity to sneak up on him and had nearly decapitated him. Another swing cleaved Lentinellus in half, but the blade went through too smoothly. Diabella knew something was off. Mario and Bowser paused as they saw Lentinellus' dismembered body fade to nothing.

Bowser grew irate "HEY! That's cheating!"

"Hardly," Lentinellus appeared from the ether, as he spoke more copies of him manifested around the chamber. Each one wielding a different glittering weapon, each one looked equally confident in wielding it. "You wanted a fight, I'll give you a fight you'll never forget. I wonder if you'll ever find me or will you die of exhaustion long beforehand." Mario, Diabella and Bowser were backed against the entryway of the chamber. The golden clan of Lentinellus strutting forward confidently "Did you really think you were the first of the modern eras to try to get rid of me?"

Diabella grabbed Mario and Bowser by their shoulders and pulled them out of the chamber before Lentinellus could lunge forward. For a time they were running, unaware that the Star Shrine had changed yet again. The corridors had begun to defy logic as they coiled and twisted like a dream. Everything blurred between the crystal beacon of serenity and the twisted laboratory fuelled by pain and torment. The unsettling patches of its true and illusory form added further confusion to their fleeing. The trio finally came to rest in a large hall caught between the reality and fantasy of the Star Shrine. They could hear the march of Lentinellus' swarm echo towards them.

"Get back to that laboratory." Diabella commanded them "Smash the orb in the wall and I'm sure the real Lentinellus will reveal himself."

Mario nodded back knowingly "I thought there was something weird about it too."

Bowser huffed "Wait, why are we doing all the work?"

"You idiots, I'll hold off the swarm and keep them from finding you. Now get out of here!"

Mario grabbed Bowser's talon to lead the Koopa King away, down a dark hallway to the side. He was relatively good navigating strange places so Mario trusted in his sense of direction. They carefully snuck back through the hallways, trying to avoid any presence of Lentinellus' swarm. The walls were contorted between appearances, yet Mario recognised the basic structure of the Shrine and remembers the paths he had taken with Luigi and their younger counter parts during their time travelling adventure.

Diabella braced herself and waiting for them to come for her… hopefully she could be enough to draw his ire so Mario and Bowser could return to the laboratory. Just as expected, the swarm poured into the grand hall to surround Diabella like a rising ocean. They sneered and leered like a chorus "Where are your allies?"

"Perhaps they realised you're insane and ditched you."

"Some things never change, do they Astrapi?"

"So pathetic, an ugly woman never wins."

Diabella answered with her actions as she span her blade ferociously. The movement cut down a section of the swarm closest to her without an issue. She then smirked back, raising a hand and challenging him to get her. She braced for the onslaught as they surged forward. They clashed as Diabella began to slice and dice her way through the swarm. Each time revealing to be a false Lentinellus as their remains faded to nothing. Yet they still came, never tiring as each Lentinellus was new and rested, while Diabella knew, that despite her ability and vitality, she would eventually tire. It was impossible odds, but Diabella knew she didn't need to win this fight to defeat Lentinellus. It was all she could keep in mind as she kept fighting them in defiance of fate.

* * *

The run back to the laboratory was surprisingly easy. No guards, no traps, just the echoing clash of melee resounding through the halls and the acrid stench of decay lingering in the air. Bowser was greatly suspicious of the calm as he followed after Mario. He made sure to breathe a wall of flame to bar the entrance to the laboratory as they finally returned. The doorway became engulfed in violet and cyan flames that mysteriously remained alight. At least if anyone attempted to attack them, they'd have to deal with fire first. Bowser still hated this room, of all the rooms to return to, why this one? Mario appeared less disturbed, he had already run over to the wall to study the mysterious, pulsing orb. Up close the glass or whatever the substance was had bubbled and fused with the walls long ago that Mario doubted it could ever be separated from the shrine. A few tentative taps revealed it to be very solid, something that couldn't be broken on a whim. He also could've sworn he could see something swimming in it. Bowser sensed Mario's trepidation; he shoved the plumber aside to get a closer look at the strange contraption.

After careful consideration, Bowser gestured to Mario to step a little further back. They gave each other a thumbs up before Bowser raised a talon, empowered by the fiery wrath of undeath, then smashed through the glass with a single strike. Mario was about to reapproach until he noticed Bowser's arm was being sucked in by something.

"Help me out!" Bowser snarled "I caught it!"

Mario quickly went to Bowser's side and helped him pull whatever he had 'caught' within the crystal. The heavy thing resisted them, trying to tug back and retreat within the liquid. With a shout, Bowser and Mario had succeeded as something was flung into the laboratory and crashed into the middle of the room with a wet squelch. The orb in the wall was shattered and hollow, revealing a much deeper cavity in the shrine that defied logic.

"Are you alright?" Mario said when he noticed the gunk stuck to Bowser's bones. In reply, Bowser shook it off like a wet dog. Mario cringed a little "Ew… that's disgusting."

By then the thing they had found was slowly rising to a stand. It looked like the Lentinellus they knew although this one had a crystallised form. His perfect body was adorned by clusters of gems to simulate his clothes while his skin held a strange nebulous feel. He scoffed as he stood "So she worked it out… she knew how to find me." He rolled his eyes at Mario and Bowser "Oh come now, as if you two could've worked it out."

Mario sighed, getting rather tired of this foe "Actually I think it was more, there's a suspicious shiny thing, let's break it and see what happens?"

Bowser nodded wisely "I was just thinking the same thing."

"No matter, you now face my true form!" Lentinellus began to hover above the ground, his shimmering robes were billowing despite being made of crystal.

"Stop that." The defiance of physics angered Bowser as he swiped at Lentinellus and swatted the glistening person from the air.

Mario noticed the faint crack on Lentinellus' face "Was it my imagination or could you hit him easier? And look, he's got an injury."

Lentinellus audibly gulped as knowing grins crossed Mario and Bowser's faces. He tried to warp away, disappearing into the ether, only to have his ankle nearly crushed by Bowser's talon. He let out a shriek as Bowser ripped him from his spell and began flailing him about the chamber with ease. Mario ducked and dodged with all his might to avoid the wild thrashing. More parts of the wall began to crumble, tubing shattered and more mysterious fluids slopped on the floor in viscous puddles. Lentinellus finally wrenched himself free by forming a cosmic shield around him; the bubble of light forced Bowser to lose his grip. There was no reprieve though as Mario grabbed a broken shaft of tube and rammed it into the magic force field. The residue of Vim, Ectoplasm and Wishes countered the spell with a crackle of electricity. With the barrier down, Mario immediately followed through with various punches and kicks. Some were evaded by Lentinellus but his fumbling movements suggested he was more adept at slinging spells rather than facing his opponent head on.

* * *

The final incantation was being chanted by Peach, Luigi and Ludwig. The foci were in place, the harmony of darkness and light had been found and grounded within each caster's mind. They focused on their efforts, the illusions in the minds becoming more lucid as each eventually found themselves before Eldstar's prison. Tiny cracks began to appear on the crystalline star, the awkward webbing that distorted its form was dripping away. The crack grew like a lightning strike and the pieces fell away to stardust. The true Eldstar, noble and incandescent, hovered above them. While Peach and Luigi remained stunned by his presence, Ludwig was distracted. He could see Fandango and Gallileo off to the side following their own ritual over the unconscious forms of Daisy, Wario, Waluigi and Wendy. Their bodies fragmenting into tiny pixels that dissipated into nothing.

Despite being caged, Eldstar knew all that had transpired. He let out a mighty scream as shimmering golden light flooded the chamber "Let all return to whence they came!"

* * *

Diabella was exhausted by now… the waves of her illusory opponents kept coming. No matter how many times she fought or how many she had slain… they just kept coming… Still, she had to hold on… she couldn't afford for them to finish her and turn on Mario and Bowser. Suddenly she felt the heat of holy light, the surge of gold spilling into the chamber. She kept fighting, ignoring the blade buried in her back or the arrows impaling her arm. She ignored every injury as she herded what remained of the swarm. The golden light swept through and purged them.

Diabella could feel her existence fade into a million pixels… a grin appeared on her face as she had the last laugh.

* * *

Mario was about to punch Lentinellus in the face yet again when the holy light swept through the chamber. It did not hurt him, nor sting, nor feel warm. It was like a calm river flowing over his form. He could Lentinellus shriek in agony as the light ripped him from Mario's grasp. Reality had been washed away and when his senses returned, he found himself standing in the ruined entrance hall of Peach's Castle. An audience of confused Toads in construction wear and hard hats were equally flummoxed then cheered and rushed towards their hero. Within a moment, a bead of light fell overhead, unfurling to form the silhouette of Peach.

Mario caught her and held her tightly, he could hear Eldstar's voice in his head "This matter is beyond the works of mortals, but I thank you for your assistance. Lentinellus will be punished… Star Road will heal… Take care of your loved ones and rebuild your lives…"

In an instant the voice was gone leaving Mario puzzled. Yet now was not the time to question, he followed the lead of the Toads and carried Peach to her bedchamber. Only hoping that everyone else was back where they belonged and safe.


	18. A royal audience

_The field of wildflowers were starting to distort, twisting and contorting into otherworldly beings. Peach panicked as they began to grow ravenous, their petals curling into the rotten smiles of a Piranha Plant. The sun began to blaze stronger, her skin almost burning from the heat. She tried to flee but something in the long grass had tangled around her feet. The flowers continued to snap and snarl around her. Their anger was directed to the blazing sun overhead. Peach kept ripping at the vines and roots ensnaring her, clambering to a crawl then to her knees. She began to run, heart racing as she screamed "Enough!"_

* * *

She was ripped from the lucid dream with a panicked jolt. Her heart thundered in her head while her chest wavered with shallow breaths. Sweat rolled down her face as she tried to steady her breathing; slowly deepening to a calm pace. Peach wiped the sweat from her brow and realised she was back in her bedroom, in her castle. There was a note on her bedside table, letting her know that Mario was waiting for her in the study, whenever she was ready. Serenity returned to her as she saw the night sky beyond her window and her castle in the midst of repairs. Peach slowly got out of bed, feeling her legs were still shaking from it all. Taking her time, she slowly wandered over to her armoire to get out of her sweat drenched dress and into a cleaner gown.

After changing into a pink summer dress, Peach left her room and headed towards the study. She bowed and said polite greetings as she passed various Toads. The interior of the castle was almost fully repaired by now. She took a mental note to survey the progress in daylight. The study was a smaller chamber near the library where she often took private meetings. Upon entering she saw Mario waiting in an armchair by the fireplace. Toadsworth had placed a tea set upon the table in the centre of the room. They both bowed to her as Peach took her seat in the opposite armchair.

"Welcome back princess," Toadsworth bowed "I will leave my questions for tomorrow but I am glad that you are both safe." He excused himself and left the room.

Mario immediately asked "Princess, are you alright? You look exhausted."

"I am, oh my, I have no idea how they make magic look so easy… I feel like I need to sleep for a week. How about you? Are you alright? Is Lentinellus defeated?"

"I'm alright, thanks to Grambi's power, Bowser and Diabella. But… I had him in my hand… but then that light from Eldstar took him from me so I don't know if I can say Lentinellus is defeated."

"Perhaps Eldstar will deal with him accordingly… after all, he perhaps bears a large grudge against Lentinellus for keeping him imprisoned and stealing his identity."

He poured the tea, adding the milk and sugar to satisfy their tastes"I realise that, but… it doesn't feel right."

"Mario," Peach accepted the tea he had poured "What's on your mind? You look so solemn."

He froze up for a moment, then melted at the sight of her gentle smile "Princess, I just can't keep thinking about everything. I can't even make sense of it."

"Why not talk it out with me? Maybe that will help?"

"Remember back in the mire, Grambi and Jaydes mentioned doing the 'right thing' about Star Road… but, what even was the right thing? I don't get it. We didn't even really defeat Lentinellus either, everything just faded into nothing and then we're here…"

Peach pondered the situation with careful consideration "Maybe… maybe they knew about Eldstar but were powerless to do anything about it. So they made sure that no matter what we faced up there, we could stand up to it. It was never about defeating Lentinellus, it was about freeing Eldstar."

"Do you think the others knew? Diabella, Gallileo, Fandango… Shalazia?"

"They seemed just as surprised as the rest of us with each discovery they made on Star Road, so I don't think so, but they adjusted whatever their plan was to help."

"But why was freeing Eldstar so important?"

"Perhaps it's to do with a greater balance? Like there's Grambi, Jaydes and," she shivered at the mere muttering of the name "The Shadow Queen." She regained her composure "Three very powerful beings, but not in balance as there were two beings of darkness and one being of light."

"Then Eldstar is a fourth powerful being, one of light." Mario smiled as he understood "It all makes sense now. Our fight with Lentinellus was a huge distraction!" He then paused "Princess, how do you know all this?"

"When I was in that trance with Gallileo, I don't know, it's just… it's like I could see the logic behind their actions… how they used magic in their era… it was weird. Like our minds were united for a moment and it made sense…"

"Princess…"

"Anyway, I'm sure Lentinellus will be punished by the one's he wronged. But we forget that he probably hurt Grambi and Jaydes too by throwing everything out of order."

"I wonder what will happen to him… or where he went?"

"I don't think it's helpful to think about it, Mario. Let Lentinellus fade to memory then forgotten… I just hope he remains forgotten."

"Princess?"

"He… that monster… he built this kingdom out of so much hate for the world… I refuse to let me people celebrate him… let alone know of him." Peach sighed "Toadsworth wanted to make a mural celebrating him before all this started… I'll have it redone to showcase Stellara rather than Lentinellus."

"Why Stellara?"

"Better her, than him."

Mario nodded to himself as they fell silent. They enjoyed each other's company enough that they didn't need to say any more about it. For now all they wanted was to relax and try to return to some level of normalcy… whatever that entailed now.

* * *

 _The small camp was positioned in the centre of a sea of dunes. The desert stretched far into the distance to meet with, rocky mountains, deep jungles and the expanse of the seas. The winds stirred the sands, sprinkling dust into the air like the tide. The fire blazed in the centre of the small camp that hosted only a single tent. Daisy stood opposite a giant, burly woman adorned in whatever pieces of armour she could scavenge. The woman pulled down her hood to reveal that her auburn hair cut was short and she had the same tanned complexion as Daisy. Even the same blue eyes although they seemed so much fiercer on her. The woman took a seat by the flames and gestured Daisy to join her._

 _After hesitating, Daisy sat beside her "Why do you camp in the middle of the desert?"_

 _The woman replied in a low rumble "So you can see your opponents in the distance, there's nowhere to hide out here so it's actually the safest place to be."_

" _Queen Belladonna… I'm so sorry. I wasn't strong enough to be of any use."_

" _Please Daisy, it's just Belladonna. The only reason our connection failed was because we did not realise that Lentinellus could sever our connection so easily. You did not fail us at all. We're just sorry we couldn't have been of much help."_

 _Daisy wondered aloud "In all honesty, did you guys even know what Lentinellus had done to the Star Road?"_

" _No, all we knew was that the Star Road appeared shortly after his ascension. He then faded without a trace, always was a sneaky one obsessed with smoke and mirrors, until Shalazia revealed him recently." Belladonna spoke calmly as she surveyed the desert landscape "When I heard the summons, a chance to kill him, I jumped right at it. The original plan was to simply find him and end him… we did not expect things to become so complicated by an imprisoned Star Spirit."_

" _So you just improvised then," She smiled "I guess I'm relieved that you're still human. All the legends make you seem so powerful."_

" _Even in my era, I still kept hearing tales of legendary figures and feeling underwhelming and inadequate… it never ends."_

" _By the way, what's the deal with this Rosalina that Diabella asked about?"_

" _Simple, Rosalina was one of the orphans cared for by the Arcane Archives. She mysteriously disappeared long ago with no trace, I suspect it's weighed on Astrapi, I mean, Diabella's mind as she was responsible for the security and protection of her realm."_

" _I know of a Rosalina… she helped Mario save Peach once… she is the adoptive mother of the Lumas and lives someplace called the Comet Observatory."_

" _The Lumas!? The very crucible of galactic life!? Ha! No wonder Rosalina seemed so special to them." Belladonna smiled "Apparently the poor girl was found on the steps of the Arcane Archive, near death and poisoned, her mind was addled and she had no memory of her family. Yet she had a strange affinity for the stars and the cosmos so Gaia… I mean, Gallileo, hypothesised she was the child of a Star Spirit and human due to her mortal form."_

" _Then what happened to her parents? Did they ever find out?"_

" _Sadly we did in the last days before our end, it turned out Rosalina's mother was Lentinellus' queen, Stellara. Yet Lentinellus was not her father. We suspect Stellara had another husband before him and we still don't know how she ended up a queen either. Of course, we'll never know." Belladonna looked around their land "But I do know that I am proud of you as my descendant."_

 _Daisy was surprised "You are?"_

" _Of course, you've united the different clans of Sarasaland under one kingdom. There is abundance of food and water so no one needs to starve. You have medicines to heal the sick. You've managed to master cooperation and resourcefulness which is what is needed to survive."_

" _It wasn't just me, all my ancestors played their part."_

" _And you are maintaining that same spirit." Belladonna smiled "Trust yourself child, you're doing very well and I hope you continue to do so."_

" _Are the spirits always watching us?"_

" _Sometimes, we catch glimpses of what's happening, not the full picture."_

" _Will I ever see you again? It feels like such a short time…"_

" _Maybe you will, maybe you won't."_

 _Like the winds on the dunes, the vision faded from Daisy's mind as grains of sand._

* * *

The familiar song of the wind and water roused her senses. Daisy sat up in her bed to find herself back in her castle in Sarasaland. Like most of the architecture of her country, the rooms were large and spacious with numerous connecting corridors to create wind tunnels to aid with cooling. Aqueducts lined each room with a ribbon of water giving a pretty yet practical decorate feature. Her chamber was adorned by hanging bolts of silks, hanging flowers and gems while the furniture was minimal. All there was, was her bed, her wardrobe and large mirror. The room also opened onto a large balcony to overlook the main city of Sarasaland and the surrounding terrains. She could see the kingdoms of Birabuto, Muda, Easton and Chai; a constant reminder that her realm was a meeting of various nations, not a single kingdom.

The sandstone balcony was framed by palms growing from the lower levels and ferns that spilling over the railings. There was also a table and chairs where surprisingly Luigi was seated. He was currently trying to speak with one of her personal maids. The rambunctious Gao was pawing at Luigi like a common housecat, its headdress was adorned by a flower crest to denote her status.

"Delilah." Daisy said calmly, the Gao turned around "I'm fine, tell the others that I'll explain what happened tomorrow. I just want some rest for now, please." Delilah purred back, Daisy smiled "Alright, you may set up another room for Luigi. But I would like to speak with him for a time." Satisfied with the instructions, Delilah bounded towards the door, shoved it open with her head then disappeared down the hall. Daisy wandered to the seat near Luigi.

He remarked "I still don't know how you can understand them."

"I've had to learn, it's the only way to keep the peace around here."

"Are you alright? What happened?"

"I had a strange dream where I talked with my ancestor… she's nice."

"Any idea how we got here? Like I have no idea…"

"Me neither, I just remember being knocked out while on Star Road."

A wicked voice remarked "You're just here because Eldstar put you back. He put all you heroes back to peaceful surroundings to recover."

Daisy and Luigi glanced around to see nothing or no one nearby. The air then grew heavy as the night sky began to waver. Darkness ebbed then burst to reveal the Shadow Queen in all her mysterious glory manifest from the night sky. Luigi instinctively cowered at the sight of her, growing rigid as he did when afraid. Daisy stood between him and the Shadow Queen, she bowed first to acknowledge her royal status then snapped "Whatever you're playing at, you are not welcome in my kingdom."

"I know that, Princess." The Shadow Queen remarked as she floated around them, a trail of inky darkness flared in her wake. "I just came to have a chat with your boyfriend."

Luigi stammered and spluttered "Me?"

"Indeed," The Shadow Queen leaned over to inspect him with invisible eyes "So this is where the Chaos Heart fell after that shaman lost control. My Champion and Herald informed me of this development long ago… then the Archivist used it to lure Jaydes out, cunning woman that one, just like her sister, always have been and always will be. Clearly she's used her undead nature to further her magic talents and given the turn of events at Star Road, perhaps she will feel inclined to join me… Do not fear me, I have no interest in possession."

Daisy rolled her eyes "Try telling that to Peach." She circled around Luigi to grab his hand, offering a reassuring squeeze. Luigi felt his fear consume him, his voice was lost as the terror paralysed him.

"I'll admit, I was a little stir crazy. Tends to happen when you're locked up for a thousand years. I apologise for my actions, those Shadow Sirens performed a rather inadequate ritual so my mind was dishevelled for a time… I do not understand why they did not heed Diabella's words… then again, it was Gallileo's designs and Fandango's craftsmanship that imprisoned me twice… they're a rather troublesome family."

Daisy growled back on his behalf "So what's the deal? Why are you here?"

"I was given new information and I am acting upon it. Seeing as the Dark Star is no more, do you want to strike a deal with me? You have so much potential in the dark arts."

Luigi finally muttered "No… I never want to use magic again… once was enough even if it wasn't me who cast it. I don't want to play your game, not now… not ever!"

"Fair enough. But remember, I'll always be waiting if you change your mind and who knows? Maybe one day, you will **need** me. You mortals tend to get desperate on your deathbeds or when those you love suffer. Besides, all of you mortals play our games sooner or later. I wonder how the addition of a fourth player will go, this Eldstar is quite the unknown. I look forward to playing against him." The Shadow Queen had a sinister leer, almost singing in a mocking tone as she vanished into the night.

Daisy put her arm around Luigi as he continued to tremble. For a moment the darkness lingered before dissipating into nothing. As quickly as the Shadow Queen had come, she was gone.


	19. A casual meeting

_Oddly enough Wario found himself standing on the roof of his castle; as he usually did when he needed to think. He could easily see the lights of Rogueport in the distance. The forests and seas in the horizon that screamed adventure awaited him. Yet he wasn't alone this time. There was another much taller and burlier than he, with a similar face, similar moustache. The only real difference was that his hair was longer and he was adorned by armour pieced together from scraps in the desert. Designed to look more menacing rather than offer protection._

 _The strange berserker laughed heartily then remarked "Fine kingdom you've got here."_

 _Wario picked his nose "Yeah, this is my pad. But I ain't letting you stay, Darius."_

" _That's alright, I prefer a battlefield and the dunes of Sarasaland to be honest."_

" _So… our bloodline is really from there?"_

" _Yep."_

" _What kind of perks did you get for being the Bandit Queen's right hand fighter?"_

" _A harem to bear my children, the best picks of all the treasure, my lovely rose and I wanted for nothing so long as we remained loyal to Queen Belladonna."_

" _Lovely rose?" Wario recalled the voices in his head as the spirits of their ancestors were ripped from their bodies. He recalled a very concerned Darius yelling to someone nearby. "…wait, you mean Throne?"_

 _Darius answered bluntly "Yes."_

 _Wario blinked "Wait, but… if you're… you know, then how am I?"_

" _I had a harem of eligible, willing women. It wasn't a big deal in my era."_

 _The air grew tense from the silence as the two continued to blankly stare at one another. Darius finally waved "Well, guess I'll be going now…"_

 _The castle surroundings vanished from his sight to return to comforting darkness._

* * *

Wario was jolted awake by the strange dream. Perhaps his ancestor was lingering to impart some kind of wisdom? On the other hand, it got a bit strange, very quickly for Wario so he was relieved it was over. He found himself back in his bedroom, oddly enough, as he sure he was passed out on Star Road last time he was conscious. Then there was some booming voice and a livid Star Spirit then… nothing but that weird dream. Wario stopped thinking about it there. He never really cared for thinking things through. It always brought nothing but trouble. Instead he found himself distracted by the thumping noise pulsing through the walls, so he decided to investigate that instead.

The castle was rocking with loud music and merriment. Wario padded downstairs to the chaotic sight of yet another wild party taking place in his home. It wasn't the first time this had happened. It seemed to occur whenever Toadette watched his home. The garish lights blared while the DJ alternated between all kinds of genres. The sound didn't matter so long as you could dance to it. He figured most of Rogueport had turned out for this one. A large banner displaying 'End of the World Party' was prominently draped across the main courtyard. He heard rattling on the roof then saw shadows of people in shopping trolleys from Coconut Mall fly past the window. He waded through the crowds, noting the Black Sugar Pirates were among the guests. He wondered if Syrup had paid a visit and was proven right as the infamous pirate was sharing a round of drinks with Toadette. He surmised that they had lugged every cask and keg he had stashed in the cellar into the main courtyard.

"Wario!" Toadette cheered, sitting upon a throne of kegs with a small stein in her hand "How do you like the welcome back party?"

Wario pointed behind him and corrected "Your banner says otherwise."

Toadette laughed nervously "Well, we changed after we realised the world wasn't ending. Things got crazy up in the sky for a while there. Everything was shaking from above us and we saw cracks appearing in the sky and then well… we figured we'd all be dead in a few hours so we decided to throw a party… but now everything's fine so… we're still partying."

Syrup teased ever so sweetly "Did you manage to find any treasure on your trip?"

Wario flustered for a moment before admitting "No."

"Again? What's the point of your crazy trips to dangerous places if you don't steal anything valuable?"

He sighed, not really having the energy to rebuke "Look, have either of you seen Waluigi?"

Toadette nodded "He's on the roof, looked a bit spooked so we let him be." She reassured "Look, we haven't touched his greenhouse and I've been taking good care of his Piranha Plant collection so they're all fine. Your workshop is locked up and your treasure hoard has been counted and itemised so I'll know if anything goes missing and between the Pianta Syndicate and the Robbo Gang, I'll get anything back before you can pick your nose." Toadette could see her innocent smile was not making Wario's concern lessen. "Those gangsters owe me, you know. I'm sure I can get them to pay a few debts and help us out if anything goes missing, okay?"

Syrup added "And if anyone kicks up a fuss and tries to ruin the party, I'm sure those plants would welcome an additional protein feed."

"Thanks, I'll go say hi and then come back down to show you how a party is done right." Wario heard the chorus of cheers behind him as he went up a nearby stairwell. Toadette may have been a questionable house sitter, but at least she made sure what mattered was taken care of.

His castle was one filled with plenty of secret tunnels and sneaky passages to appeal to his thieving side. It was easy enough for Wario to move from one side of the castle to the other, given you knew the way. The rooftop in question was a small terrace where Waluigi kept some of his piranha plants. Wario ascended the stairs, passed through a few secret doors, through a hidden passage and ascended another flight of stairs. He emerged on a flattened part of the roof to find Waluigi with his golf club, hitting balls into the rolling hills surrounding Rogueport. Wario simply nodded to his friend, who nodded back, before collapsing on a half destroyed couch.

Silence remained in the air for a while before Wario said "What's with you? You love any excuse to dance so why ain't you down there showing everyone your moves?"

He didn't look back "Just feeling a bit tense…"

"About?"

"Everything that's happened."

"Like?"

"Like with our ancestors… I'm guessing you got to speak to Darius for a bit. I spoke to Thorne."

"Yeah, and?"

Waluigi hit the golf ball with his club, flinging the tiny ivory projectile somewhere into the wilderness that surrounded the castle. He sighed to himself "Do you really not get it?"

"What?" Wario picked his nose, flinging the snot over the edge as he reclined on the old couch he'd dragged onto the roof. "Darius and Throne were Belladonna's right hand guys. Of course they'd hang out a lot."

He teed up another ball and struck it with ease once again "They did more than just hang out."

"Whoa, whoa, think about it, if they were that solely way inclined how would we be direct descendants of them?"

"You do realise in ancient Sarasaland, having harems was normal and they were a lot more open in their relationships… it was a time when everything and anything went… so…"

"So they went both ways? What about it?"

"Yeah… and come on, we heard their thoughts when they possessed us… Thorne was **very** concerned about Darius' wellbeing when we were fighting."

"And Darius was the same too… I think it was when he thought of Throne as his lovely rose gave it away."

"What!? I… uh… I still don't know how to feel about any of this…"

"What's there to feel?" Wario remarked "You're overthinking it, Waluigi."

"Then how do you see it?"

"Simple, our ancestors were such an awesome team that fate has decided that their descendants are going to be the most awesome and incredible friends ever! The end!"

Waluigi paused in quiet reflection, his expression moved from confusion to a smirk "Yeah, I think that's the best way to see it."

Wario sighed "You going back down to the party?"

"In a bit."

"Alright, I'll see you down there." Wario hefted himself off the couch and wandered back down the stairs. The pulsing music and crowds of cheering hinted that he was in for a good night.

* * *

Bowser's minions had filtered out of the throne room by now. He had firstly explained to everyone present what had transpired since leaving the castle. Then he had to quell the fears of the raging skies overhead where he and the others faced off against Lentinellus on the Star Road; even going so far as to transform into his skeletal form to demonstrate his power. It was late in the night but Bowser knew he there was one last discussion to be had. He was seated casually on the floor with all the Koopalings and his son. He was surprised yet relieved to see that Ludwig was back home and had not been warped to Rhapsody. The doors leading out the balcony had been opened to allow a gentle breeze into the room. The flames atop their torches and encircled by statues wavered like a dance. It was freeing to be casual among the severity and station of a throne room. Bowser knew his father would be rolling in his grave to see the king of their realm seated on the floor like a pleb, yet here they were.

"Are you sure you two are alright?" Bowser asked as he saw that Wendy was leaning on Roy and nearly asleep. Ludwig was also swaying where he sat. "We can talk tomorrow."

Ludwig muttered "I'm just tired, that's all."

Wendy remarked while Roy held her stable "No, we gotta know some stuff now."

Bowser remained patient, ready to answer whatever they wanted to know "Like what?"

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Iggy shrieked "Are you seriously not going to explain how you turn into a Dry Bones at will!?"

Bowser sighed "Well… Lucia put a curse on me for fun, but we couldn't get it off… still can't get it off. I don't like showing it off because people get scared of it… and leave."

Bowser Jr remained silent, wondering if that was the reason his birth mother left. Perhaps she had seen his father in his cursed glory and fled in terror? It felt too raw of a wound to open right now.

"How did she do it? Aunty Lucia, how did she cast it?" Iggy then grabbed Ludwig "And can you learn it too!?"

Ludwig rolled his eyes "Why?"

"BECAUSE I WANT TO BE A SPOOKY, SCARY SKELETON TOO!"

"I think we're getting off track right now." Larry asked "Uncle Bowser, do you know where our parents are? What happened to them and why do we live with you?"

Morton piped up "We only know what happened to Ludwig's mum."

"Ah, yes, you want to know about Ziggy and Morty." Bowser sighed "I'll start with Ziggy or Franklyn first, Lemmy, Iggy and Larry's father and my younger brother. He was always a bit of an outcast because he came out all gangly so my Dad put him to work in the laboratory. It went alright for a time, he used to experiment on himself too and ended up permanently replacing his fire breath with belching acid and venom. When I became king, he challenged me for the throne, had an army of robots that almost levelled the castle. But I ended up beating him and as punishment, I chose to exile him instead of executing him, like my Dad did to anyone who challenged his rule." Bowser couldn't even look his nephews in the eyes "But, it turned out for the best. Franklyn changed his name to Ziggy and started working with a travelling circus, helping with the special effects. I think he met a contortionist with dwarfism named Embri, a Dragon Koopa like him. Before I knew it, three eggs were delivered every couple of years with a note from Ziggy saying that he knew I be a better father than him."

Roy nervously probed "And our dad?"

"Morty or Morton Sr, he was my youngest brother." Bowser smiled "We were thick as thieves when we were kids. But when I became king, things went bad. He challenged me for it, a duel to the death. But I never killed him, only forced him to surrender. He left the kingdom after that in shame and I thought maybe he'd get his head in the right place." His smile had faded to concern "He came back three times, each time bringing an egg he had fathered as a bargaining prize. I won each time and won his children. I didn't want to accept them but… Morty was a stickler for tradition like my Dad was and I've never seen him again. I've tried to find out who the mother was, but she's disappeared without a trace. All I know is that at one time, she ran an inn, she was a Dragon Koopa and her name was Ovila. Understandably she disappeared to avoid Morty finding her again."

Morton seemed the least affected by the tragic tale compared to his brother and sister "Are there other Dragon Koopas out there? I always thought we were the only ones."

"There are, we're just tend to be solitary species. We prefer our own company and the company of our clutch and our partner. You won't see too many living in the same area."

"Dad, why did Mum leave before I hatched?" Bowser Jr muttered "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, never." Bowser shook his head "She left because of me, because I refused to follow traditions that would have made us a lot wealthier at the expense of my people's happiness. I wanted to make this kingdom a better place, free of the cruelty and bloodlust of our past… and sadly not everyone agreed with me."

"Is that there are so many ploys of kidnapping Peach that Mario mysteriously passes through? And nobody really gets hurt?"

"Yes, a way of keeping up the tradition without the killings." Bowser sighed, feeling fatigue settle in his mind as the moon crawled through the night sky. "Anyway, we're all tired, perhaps you should all get some rest. I'm sure you'll want to ask more questions as they come to you, but that's the basics of what happened."

The Koopalings and Bowser Junior rose to their feet, slowly meandering their separate ways through the castle. Bowser noticed Ludwig linger behind. Before leaving, Ludwig asked "Can we… can we pay a visit to the Twisted Manors soon?"

Bowser understood what his nephew wanted "You want to ride the Spectral Express and get back to Rhapsody?"

"I just want to know what happened to Diabella. Did you see anything?"

He shook his head "The last time I saw her, we split up so she could fight off a swarm of Lentinellus clones. No idea what happened. It's alright, we can pay King Boo a visit, I wouldn't mind asking him questions of my own."

Ludwig nodded then excused himself from the chamber. Bowser took a deep breath, he knew that conversation had to happen one day. He just thought he would find it easier with time to discuss his siblings.

After seeing the others depart the throne room, Kamek thought this would be an ideal time to ask Bowser what his next plans were. Upon entering the throne room, Kamek found his surly monarch snoring on his back. He used his magic to draw the curtains and close the balcony door then took his leave, after hanging a 'do not disturb' sign on the throne room doors.


	20. Old souls

The trip to the Twisted Manors was not a grand affair. It was only a short trip, a week at most. Bowser agreed to wait at the manors while Ludwig went to Rhapsody. Iggy had overheard the excursion and decided to tag along to keep Ludwig company. The warp to the haunted forest was quick enough as Bowser had constructed a direct line between his realm and King Boo's, to keep his undead citizens in contact with their kin. They parted ways once they arrived, Ludwig and Iggy headed towards the platform for the Spectral Express while Bowser headed towards the cluster of ancient mansions that made up the Twisted Manors. He had to remind himself that they were adults; he didn't need to see them off from the station like they were children.

The mansions in question were beautifully elaborate examples of different architectural styles. Walking down the main street felt like wandering through a myriad of time periods. The undead, no matter what form, that lived here had come from all parts of history so it was expected that each would be catered to somehow. There were no formal gardens, only graveyards and crypts framed by an encroaching twisted forest. Bowser had heard rumours that the crypts plunged further and deeper underground to form a maze like city of catacombs, yet he had no desire to explore them. It felt like he would be crossing the threshold to a domain he was not ready to join. Even the middle of the day felt gloomy as the canopy of shadowy trees made the sky overcast and grey. The wind also howled here no matter how strong it was.

The only real way to decipher time here was to look for the undead in the main street. As undead were mostly nocturnal, they emerged from their homes and burial sites at night. Bowser wandered the street alone, heading to the largest manor at the end of the path.

* * *

King Boo squinted and critically studied the painting he was working on. It was a simple landscape with a lone tree on a rolling hill where a tiny grave stone at the base of the tree served as its only distinguishing feature. His art studio took up most of the attic, lined with all manner of paints and tools to apply them. There was a small area set up for him to craft his own colours and stretch his canvases. Older paintings lined the walls, each depicting different styles masterfully applied to the canvas. King Boo heard the door creak open behind him and the familiar heavy thuds.

King Boo smirked, not turning from his work as he kept painting "To what do I owe the pleasure, Bowser."

Bowser stopped and marvelled some of the paintings "I just wanted to hang out while Ludwig headed over to Rhapsody." He then asked "What are you painting? Seems a little basic for you… and too normal, why the ordinary colour scheme?"

"Because this hill is very special to this area. I wanted to convey the softness and the sadness through the faded light."

"Wait…" Bowser eyed the painting closer as he headed to King Boo's side "Is that Starsorrow Hill?"

"Yes, the same hill that's only a short walk from here."

"Why is it called Starsorrow Hill?"

"Because a long time ago, a Star Spirit who had taken the form of a human woman took her own life there. She hung herself from the branches of that tree."

"What!? Why?"

"Because a jealous king stole her from her happy life for his own lust and greed. She was happy, she had a loving husband, a kind daughter and son, even a loyal dog. Then the jealous king murdered her family, even the dog, and took her as his bride. Then he ripped her soul to pieces to gain her powers as a Star Spirit… A Star Spirit without magic is a hollow shell of agony… what remained of her wandered to that hill where she ended her torment."

"That's horrible…" Bowser rolled his eyes as he sarcastically remarked "Trust you to know all the feel good stories."

"Most undead show up here because they weren't treated fairly. But there is a slightly happy ending to this story, I arrived in time to save the daughter but her memory would never return fully… I took her to the only safe place I knew, the Arcane Archives. They had a habit of adopting orphans and caring for them… it was also there that I met the love of my life, Astrapi."

Bowser sighed, he then understood "Then the jealous king was Lentinellus?"

"Yes, and the Star Spirit was Queen Stellara."

"Then who was the husband?"

"Funnily enough, it was a fellow named Remus. That Luigi fool is a spitting image of him, Mario even looks like Romulus, Remus' twin. It's eerie how it's all turned out…"

Bowser growled "Fascinating… but I really don't care. I think I preferred you without the complicated backstory." He smirked a little to lighten the mood then stomped his foot "Now can we please leave here, I don't like hanging around a suicide landscape…"

The ghost sniggered "Very well." King Boo obliged to his wishes and led him out of the attic.

Bowser walked while King Boo floated down another long, winding corridor. These manors often felt like labyrinths that Bowser wondered if some magic was at place to toy with the laws of space. The air tended to be dizzying if you stayed still for too long and the placements of certain doors made little sense without some kind of spell in play. Bowser found himself walking up a wall at some point to reach a door on the ceiling. The halls were like miniature art galleries, proudly displaying King Boo's artistic endeavours over the ages. Eventually they came to a double door that led to King Boo's private study. The study was lined with all manner of tomes, pamphlets and texts. The walls were masked by shelves stretching all the way to the ceiling. The only spaces visible amidst the sea of literature were the windows, bright eyes for the outside world to look through. A large fireplace kept the room illuminated with shades of neon green, blue and violet. Books fluttered between the shelves like butterflies as they took on minds of their own.

Awaiting them was a Boo wearing a postman's cap with a heavy bad slung around its form. He tipped his cap to his king "Hey boss! Another letter from that Hellen Gravely bird!"

King Boo received the letter in question, raking his mind "Hellen Gravely? Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while. When is she going to stop sending me fanmail and just pop over and say hi?" He gestured Bowser to take a seat on a couch opposite him.

"You knew her when she was living?"

"No, but I know of her through a mutual colleague, it was during the golden age of gangsters in early New Donk City, when Diabella was known as Madame Cog. There was a black widow named Hellen Gravely who was very much the go to woman for gangster support."

"Like a spider? Are you telling me this lady was a freaking spider?"

"No, she married rich but every one of her husbands met a gruesome end on the honeymoon. She then inherited their fortunes. But she was smart, she used the money to open luxurious hotels with prices so high she could keep her lavish lifestyle and earn heaps more. She also had everything from speak easies, smuggling rings, forged papers and safe houses for gangsters to hide out from the cops. Yeah, she made her name and fortune during that era, lived an amazing life… so I wonder what unfinished business she could still have?"

"So I'm guessing she's a ghost, not a Boo?" Bowser remarked, fully aware of the differences thanks to his undead citizens. He knew that ghosts were a natural phenomenon of undeath, they always had unfinished business and looked more like their living selves depending on how important it is. Unfortunately, a ghost could never quite remember their business until they did it and was instantly warped back to the other side to enjoy their afterlife. All other undead creatures… were artificial, birthed from spells, rituals and mysterious relics so they could stay among the living for eternity if they chose to.

"I had no hand in restoring her, I also doubt the Shadow Queen, Queen Jaydes or King Grambi would want to see her around."

By then the postman Boo had left to tend to his duties and remaining deliveries. The two monarchs quietly settled in for a respite. King Boo casually began tending to the order of his books while Bowser breathed in the scent of ancient paper. It was rather calming, much like the libraries back in the Koopa Kingdom. Another Boo in a maid outfit appeared from the ether, offering a large goblet of wine to him. Bowser accepted the drink as the undead tended to keep the best spirits and wines; only a fool would reject their offer.

King Boo noticed a gap in a shelf "Now where did-" He then remembered "That's right, I gave a book to your nephews."

"A book? Oh, you must mean Lemmy, Iggy or Ludwig." Bowser took a sip from his goblet "They tend to like books… well, Iggy and Ludwig like reading them, Lemmy likes making forts with them. What kind of book did you give them?"

"Just a collection of tales from the Era of Ire. Like a storybook for kids that was written by some of the surviving undead from that era."

Bowser then felt that now was the best time to finally ask "What… what happened in the Era of Ire anyway? What did Queen Jaydes do?"

"Sadly, we were all played as fools but a heartless, cruel soul named Lentinellus." King Boo sighed to himself "Even I was blackmailed into his servitude after he poisoned a town's water source and blamed my apothecary research for it… keep in mind, I've only found this out now that I'm undead, you see, Lentinellus got his first break by striking a deal with Queen Jaydes, he promised her countless souls for the Underwhere in return for power… but once he monopolised on the power of star spirits, he joined them and left Jaydes. She's been rather bitter about it ever since, so in denial she won't even admit it happened."

"But why would Queen Jaydes need souls? Isn't she just an overseer of game overs?"

"Yes and no, in order for Queen Jaydes to get the job, so to speak. She basically ripped her personality into pieces using magic. You see, from what I can tell, people didn't want her in charge because they deemed her irrational and emotional so… she did the logical thing and tore away her emotions using the same spell that rips magic out of people, she actually designed the whole thing and passed the notes over to Lentinellus. Whether casting and designing such a spell was right or wrong… I can't say. There are too many unknowns to make an informed judgement on the matter. No one who was present then is around to ask… even who Jaydes was before the ritual doesn't technically exists anymore… Things went well until she realised her ripped away pieces of magic had become another entity, the Shadow Queen." King Boo grimly foretold "Now there's this theory or prophecy that one day, the two queens will fight an apocalyptic battle to end everything. So they're in the process of building their armies for that day… but it's not as simple as saying one is good and one is evil, both queens are capable of horrific cruelty and tremendous kindness."

Bowser solemnly finished "So it always comes down to who strike the best deal by the one they want to recruit."

"Yes, when Astrapi had her soul torn asunder and her storm magic removed by her sister, Shalazia. Her domain had branded her a traitor to be culled like a feral dog, her brother and sister had been murdered and she was betrayed by her only remaining family, so she turned to the most unlikely ally to survive." King Boo smirked "The Shadow Queen was imprisoned in the Prism Star around that time and hidden in the Arcane Archives. Astrapi broke open her prison and won her favour, becoming her Herald."

"Only because she had no choice…" Bowser then prompted "Who do you belong to? I mean… you're undead so which queen do you follow?"

"Luckily my undeath is my own doing so I have choices in the matter. I will only follow one queen, and I and my kingdom of ghosts will follow her into oblivion if she asks us." King Boo eerily remarked, eyes glinting with neon light "The Lightning Queen. Love is a crazy thing and I will keep loving her in my own way as she loves me in hers." He then laughed "Of course, this is something that will happen far, far away into the future probably after you're all dead so don't worry, the Twisted Manors still hold an amicable alliance with the Koopa Kingdom."

Bowser recalled his own failed love life "You sure she won't change her mind about that? People can be fickle… love can be fleeting…"

"Well… that's the thing about love, Bowser." King Boo cackled to himself "It doesn't matter how much either of you change, your adoration for each other does not. We may not be formally announced as girlfriend and boyfriend or even as a married couple… but, that doesn't matter to us. Astrapi and I have changed a lot, to the point where we're practically different people in every way… yet… we'll always love each other on some level. Love isn't always about romance and fornication, there are so many different kinds of love out there."

Bowser reluctantly informed "I'm sorry to have to tell you… but I don't think she's coming back this time. The fight on the Star Road was pretty brutal."

"Funny thing about her, she always finds a way to respawn and I doubt the Shadow Queen would let her disappear completely from the game."

"So… no crazy problems from the Era of Ire are going to come back to bite us?"

"No, we're not interested. What's done is done, we just want to move on and live relatively peacefully until we're called to battle once more." King Boo then sighed "Unless… well, depends on what happened to Lentinellus."

"You really think there's a threat from him?"

"He's a crafty one so I'd say be on your guard." King Boo's usual cheerful demeanour returned with a loud cackle "Anyway, the comedy club down in the crypts will be opening soon."

Bowser finished his wine and placed the goblet on a nearby table "What's on tonight?"

"Another round of 'Stupid Deaths' where people talk about the silly ways they died. It's rather therapeutic to get them to talk about it and laugh."

"Sounds good, lead the way!" Bowser rose from his seat "I can't tell which way I'm going in the crypts."

King Boo barred the doorway "Ah, before you do. Aren't you forgetting something?" Bowser then remembered with a gasp, he laughed sheepishly then snapped his talons. Instantly his fleshy form danced with fire to reveal his Dry Bones form. King Boo nodded approvingly "Much better, you know the rules, only the undead can hang out in the crypts."


	21. Back to the Swamp

The odd iron coffin was trundled out of the carriage by a series of Boos who disappeared down a swampy road. Iggy had spied the strange contraption the whole ride over and had still not surmised what its purpose was. The moss covered station nestled a little way from Rhapsody was adorned by swirling iron patterns, common in the ghost train's glory days. The platform looked solid, yet Iggy found some morbid delight in how spongy the stone felt beneath his talons and how everything looked hard yet wavered with ectoplasmic mist and was somewhat soft to touch like feeling a firm pillow. The ride over had been mostly quiet, this time Iggy had a chance to enjoy the sights; the crossing over into different plains of existence that flickered outside his cabin window. He particularly enjoyed seeing the world of rainbow static and the strange fleshy giants staring vacantly at them while holding large contraptions in hand. The giants would be almost in a trance; only their eyes flickered as their fingers twitched erratically to push buttons on some oddly designed devices. It was quite mysterious and exciting, like Iggy had caught a glimpse of a mysterious cryptid to include on a creepypasta archive.

He was dragged out of his daydreams by Ludwig, who had politely tapped him on the shoulder and gestured him to come with him. They trekked the muddy path along with the other passengers from the Spectre Express. As they kept walking, passengers parted down various streets and alleyways of Rhapsody while they remained on the main road towards Diabella's laboratory. The general atmosphere of the town was off. The revelry and laughter were still there yet the music and partying had fallen silent. Instead the sounds of machinery buzzed with life followed by ominous clanks and thuds. The flow of water echoed and churned with a sickening gulp. Yet neither Ludwig nor Iggy could surmise where the noise was coming from exactly. It just floated in the air. Bohemians living there were busier and focused, running about different buildings with purpose like they following secret, invisible instructions. They were simply ignored the few times they tried to stop someone to ask what they were doing. The lumbering giant insects in the mire were assisting as best they could, whether they were carrying large implements or assisting with moving people around. Ludwig and Iggy felt like they were in the eye of a storm, everything chaotic around them while they calmly paced towards their goal.

They watched strange metal pillars and structures hoist upright in the distance, each of an unusual design that Ludwig couldn't quite place. Iggy piped up excitedly "It's like those monoliths from the Dark Cities of Phantasmala!"

Ludwig recalled "Oh, that eldritch empire from that 'Catacombs & Cryptids' game you're so fond of."

"Yeah! Seriously Ludwig, you got to sit down and give the game a go. Its heaps of fun! I'll even help you make your character and choose a demon lord that suits you."

"Alright, I'll give it a go. If you're willing to teach me how it all works." Ludwig smiled as Iggy let out an excited, euphoric screech.

They crossed the old suspension bridge upon reaching the crooked tower within drained moat. Once in the main laboratory, Iggy immediately became distracted by observing the implements within. Most notably was that he had been reunited with the mysterious coffin that had arrived on the Spectre Express. Ludwig allowed Iggy his own time to marvel the laboratory, even he had to admit it was quite an intricately designed place with traces of different eras and methods present throughout its architecture. He felt like the laboratory had grown with more knowledge, more skillsets over an unknown period of time. Only one door remained particularly ancient looking, a strange wooden door at the edge of the room that led to Diabella's private chambers.

In all his time in Rhapsody and in the company of Diabella, he had never seen her living quarters. The small room was rather simplistic with a single metal bed, probably stolen from a hospital, and a large trunk under a window overlooking the Malevolent Mires. The walls however told him so much more. All over every surface were pictures from bygone ages. From fine portraits of nobles, tapestries, carvings, various wanted posters, newspaper clippings, sketches, any form of visual media since a medieval era was hung proudly on those walls. Each one depicted a different era in time and a different side of Diabella's life. Every picture told a different story. A different part of her life, sometimes she was noticed, other times she blended in the background but she was always there.

Ludwig was surprised, he assumed those with negative lives would be hiding from sight yet here was Diabella at the centre as some of the more infamous members of history, four in particular stood out for him. She had been the Countess Diabla whose manor still stood in King Boo's realm; rumoured to be a vampire as she never aged. The dreaded pirate Captain Morgan who was a scourge of the seas for many decades yet never caught. She was also the Copper Kitty, a coppersmith and bandit from the Wild West who rode a steam powered horse. At one time she was Madame Cog, a powerful gangster during the age of industrialisation. Although he never quite understood why she was remembered as a villain; perhaps because she stole the child labour of other factories then burned those factories to the ground to remove any competition.

He carefully noted one another recent clipping from a newspaper, judging from the date on the page it happened a little before the gangster era swept through most human cities. Diabella had even worked with the electricians to help lay the electrical grid for New Donk City. It appeared that Madame Cog was the last image before her timeline ended; probably around the time she turned to the mire. He saw the difference between Diabella and Shalazia in that moment. They both had negative lives, they both stayed in the game, yet Diabella moved forward and adapted with each change. Shalazia could not and it was ultimately her downfall. A part of him wondered what would have happened on Star Road had he not reminded Diabella of her modern self.

The portrait that caught his eye was hanging proudly on the wall opposite the bed so it was the last thing the occupant of it saw before sleeping. A couple were pictured, a scarred and giant woman with violet hair shaven on one side. She was stocky and athletic, looking out of place in the lace embellished ebon gown. Beside her was a short, fat nobleman, with a single, fang-like tooth jutting from his beaming smile, his wild white hair was tied back and his eyes were bright red, perhaps an albino? Like her, he was in his finest clothes, a dark suit with a gold and purple waist coat. A large red gem set in gold hung around his neck. They looked like they came from two different worlds yet they seemed so… happy… just happy to be with each other. A scrawled note tucked on the corner of the canvas read _'To my beloved knight, Astrapi. I will always adore and love you. From your sweet, spooky marshmallow, Agaricus.'_

"Oh, hey! What are you doing here?"

Ludwig paused from hearing Magnifico's voice in the main room. He stopped his voyeurism of Diabella's life to join Iggy beyond her chambers. Sure enough, Magnifico and Scaramouch were there and confronting Iggy about his presence.

Iggy informed quickly so he could continue studying the mysterious casket "Ludwig wanted to see what happened to your queen. I'm just here coz I like this lab."

Scaramouch replied "You better not take anything, she won't be happy if you mess with her stuff."

"Is Diabella coming back?" Ludwig felt somewhat hopeful for a moment "Where is Gallileo and Fandango?"

"We don't know. We thought they went with you."

"They were, but then… they were gone. It was weird…"

Magnifico honestly answered "But what we do know is that they will be back at some point… Diabella always finds a way back. Why would now be any different?"

"Why is everyone in town acting so weird? I can barely get anyone to even notice me."

"The Shadow Queen paid us all a visit shortly after the sky stopped shaking. She told us what transpired, what Diabella had told her and that I was to expect a parcel to be delivered here the day you appeared in town again."

Scaramouch procured a parchment with writing that oozed purple sludge "Seems like Diabella made a deal with the Shadow Queen about moving the town so we're making sure everything is ready for the move." She remarked "The Spectre Express and warp pipe to Roguetown will be out of commission for a little while but we will repair the links once we're established. Are you going to come with us Ludwig?"

"No, my place is with my family for now but I'll be visiting once everything is connected."

"So can I have your apartment? It's a pretty sweet pad."

"Yeah, sure." Ludwig prodded around in his shell to procure a brass key then handed it to her "It's yours."

Scaramouch took the key daintily from his hand "Thanks… I will be washing this thoroughly. Seriously, why do you Koopas always put stuff in your shells!?"

Magnifico remarked "It's very convenient."

"Hey guys!" Iggy piped up as he stood over the coffin "You guys should maybe check this out… it's a little weird… but like a good, spooky weird."

The iron coffin had been delivered to the laboratory, placed in the main room where one couldn't miss it. The entire container was not tall or large, it was rather small. Layers of bindings, metal supports and strange cloth inscribed with depleted runes, made the coffin appear bulky. The only visible component was a glass window where the head of its occupant would lie. The glass window surrounded by bolts pulsed with an unearthly light. Out of curiosity, they lingered closer to see if anything was visible within. A skeletal hand bashed the window from the inside. It had fewer fingers than a human and talons which made Magnifico wonder. Without hesitation, she went to a table to retrieve a spanner, then to the bolts at the side of the coffin and undid them. Ludwig ensured the runic bindings were depleted of magic while Scaramouch and Iggy finished unfastening the iron struts. They finally threw the lid open without a care, releasing a flash of blinding light.

When her senses adjusted, she first saw the mist spewing from the coffin, then a single skeletal figure rising from within it; a familiar leather duster with the Steampunk crest resting on its lapel. Magnifico paused for a moment, studying the skeleton's beaked face, old helmet and headphones then nearly burst into tears as she threw her arms around him. "Figaro!" she wept "But how?"

Figaro answered, his voice rattling from deep within his new Dry Bones form "King Boo rebuilt me."

Scaramouch was shocked "You can talk now!?"

"He fixed me as best he could. Diabella sent my remains to him in the hopes that he could do something."

Magnifico felt a mix of anger, relief and confusion all at once "But why didn't she say anything to us?"

Scaramouch shrugged "Knowing her, she probably didn't want to get our hopes up."

"I've missed out on quite a lot, huh?" Figaro chuckled "It's fine, you can explain everything over coffee."

The laboratory rocked wildly before the strange pit in the centre of the room sprung a leak. Fetid sludge began pooling at the bottom, it stank of lost time from being trapped beneath the earth for too long. A few Snifits in hazmat gear and large burrowing beetles and worms waddled out of the nearby catacomb pipes that had spewed the foul slime. Some began surveying the damage, another looked up to see Ludwig, Iggy, Scaramouch, Figaro and Magnifico peering down.

"Figaro! Good to see you mate!" The Snifit waved "Sorry everyone, we've been securing the subterranean pylons for the move. Looks like we found a fault line. Not to worry though, we'll have all this cleaned up shortly."

Iggy was intrigued by the scale of the operation "What exactly are these modifications for?"

"You don't know? We're going airborne! It's been in the works for a few decades and finally, we're making it real!"

Ludwig did not share such enthusiasm "Doesn't it sound a little risky?"

"We won't know until we try, besides, everyone who doesn't want to be here is free to leave. Some have already relocated to Rogueport and the Twisted Manors." The team began to move back into the tunnel from whence they came, the Snifit waved back "Anyway, hopefully we'll see you up in the sky!" then pattered back down into the darkness.

With nothing more to do in the laboratory, they headed to exit so they could go find a café to have a drink and catch up. Scaramouch asked as they walked back across the suspension bridge to the main road in town "So, Iggy, are you staying on?"

Iggy tilted his head "Staying on?"

Figaro nodded "Yeah, are you staying in Rhapsody?"

"Well, nah, I got a lot of things going on back home. Need to take care of my Octo-chicken."

"Fair enough, you'll come hang out once the warps are back, yeah?"

"Definitely. This place is way better than hanging out at the Electrodome."

Despite the fact that Rhapsody and its citizens were safe, Ludwig couldn't shake his uneasiness. It seemed so peculiar how relaxed everyone was about Diabella, Fandango and Gallileo's disappearances. He also couldn't fathom how any of them could return now. But he couldn't speak against their optimism. It didn't feel fair to crush their happiness.


	22. Missing Mires

The noose's shadow stretched far towards the wall with the crawling journey of the sun. The gallows of the plaza remained isolated despite being surrounded by bustling mobs. Rogueport was synonymous with being wicked. Not the same level as evil conjured by the mention of the Dark Lands, but a more tolerable form of maliciousness. Many people who made their home in this seaside town were rarely welcomed to the Mushroom Kingdom with open arms. The legends of the town's founding only added to the atmosphere, the tales of four heroes battling against the Shadow Queen herself. Of course, these legends were proven true with time when Mario and Princess Peach interfered. Yet in the aftermath of the chaos, the town did not just survive, it thrived.

Mario seldom liked visiting, having found the residential crime families a bit difficult to understand at the best of times. It was no wonder Peach barely interfered with this city despite being part of her kingdom; Rogueport seemed to be a place that was content with governing itself. However he couldn't exactly argue when two large Piantas showed up on his doorstep that morning, dressed in the dark suits, grass skirts and shades synonymous with the Pianta Syndicate. He only had a few moments to gather his toolbox and head back to Rogueport in the company of these gangsters. The only instruction he had gotten was that the 'Don' had an extremely important job for him. He had been enjoying the peacefulness in the wake of the incident on Star Road. Now it seemed his few weeks of relaxation was over.

The Piantas led him past the gallows, to the west side of town. The front of their operation was a rather quaint item shop named Westside Goods. As usual the shop was filled with quality produce sold at a higher price compared to Toad Bros. Bazaar. Peeka, the Boo shopkeep who had a habit of wearing rabbit ears, gave Mario a wink as he was taken through the shop. The two goons only left his side after closing him into a posh office hidden at the back of the shop. Mario trembled for a moment; the chair had its back to the door, the fan slowly span overhead casting shadows on the floor. He let out a sigh of relief once the chair turned to reveal a female Pianta with yellow skin and pink flower on her head. She was wearing a trendy silk dress over her grass skirt.

Mario smiled "Francesca, long time no see. How was the honeymoon?"

"Magical, absolutely magical. Frankie and I had such a great time at Delfino Isle." Francesca tittered "By the way, when are you and that princess going to get engaged? I saw the way you two looked at each other at our wedding."

"Oh… the princess… ah… well…" Mario felt himself blushing at the thought of Peach "I'm afraid it's a little complicated for us."

"How so?" Francesca reassured "You do recall how I was going elope with Frankie because I was terrified of my Dad's reaction to the union?"

"I guess being part of the Pianta Syndicate complicates things too. Well… if me and the princess were to get married… we'd be a king and queen… and well…" Mario nervously admitted "Neither of us are ready for that severity and responsibility, and there's no way I'd ever ask Peach to stop being a princess and renounce her throne… it's just…" He almost trembled a little "If we became a king and queen we wouldn't have as much freedom to do what we want and to just be us…"

"No wonder, but maybe you two can work out something different to show your affection." Francesca kindly smiled "It's alright, I didn't mean to embarrass you, I just hope that you remember to do so at some point." She then shuffled some papers on the desk "Anyway, let's get to business. I called you down here because we have a problem with one of the warp pipes in town. Frankie is already down there to keep an eye on it."

"Alright, easy enough to fix. Where does the warp pipe lead?"

"The Malevolent Mires, but we need to seal it off due to their renovations. We'll probably need to call you out again to help establish the connection when they're all set up. Don't worry, I'll make sure you're compensated for your work."

Mario almost felt like cursing, they never had to brave the perils of the Thwomp Ruins to get to the Arcane Kingdom or Rhapsody. They could've just warped there from Rogueport. However, he reminded himself that he was in the company of a woman who had been born into the gangster life. Despite being the wife of a Don, she seemed to be more in command than her husband. Mario just held his tongue, not wanting to be on her wrong side and politely excused himself to tend to the repair. Again the Pianta goons were waiting for him and once again, Mario was led through Rogueport like a prisoner of the Pianta Syndicate.

Eventually he was led down a series of darkened alleyways. The walls blurred into similarities and Mario could barely see the sky between the tall buildings. Perhaps he was underground at some point? He couldn't tell as he kept walking with the Pianta goons who seemed to know where they needed to be. Like everything hidden by thieves, if you're to find it, you have to be shown. Although Mario doubted he could find his way back. When he arrived at a space among the buildings, he could see a warp pipe and immediately that there was something wrong with it. A foul, iridescent sludge was bubbling from it and there was a distinct crack in the side. A blue Pianta in the same suit, shades and grass skirt was nearby.

"Hey Frankie." Mario waved as he set his toolbox down "Francesca already told me I'm here to seal it off."

Frankie smirked then replied "Then do what you got to do, whatever my love wants, she gets."

"Alright, I'll have to go in there a few times to work out the extent of the pipe." Mario got the nod from Frankie to proceed. He then climbed into the warp pipe, finding it extremely large for a pipe then was caught off guard as the warp mechanisms kicked in.

Mario found himself flying at faster speeds than usual, someone had rigged this pipe to almost operate at unsafe levels. Blue and white light streamed past him in ribbons, collecting at rings lining the framework of the pipe. The pipe was already cracked in some places, allowing him to steal glimpses of other realms. He could've sworn he passed the Underwhere and the Overthere while moving through. Finally he could see a light ahead of him as he was tossed wildly out the other side of the warp.

He landed in clay and mud with a heavy squelch. Mario slowly rose to his feet, careful not to fall again and face plant it in the muck. The scene took a moment to adjust to; he could see the mountain range, the flying banners of Thwomp Ruins on its peaks. The Malevolent Mires and Arcane Kingdom were gone. The mires had almost been ripped from the land itself and judging by the large tracks in the earth it had drifted off to sea. The seawater pooled in the large gash in the land almost like something had scooped the entire ecosystem out. The Arcane Kingdom was equally in ruins, with no one to cast its enchantments; it had melted into sludgy water that drowned the shoreline to return to the sea. It had only been a week or so since returning from Star Road. Mario couldn't rationalise how entire kingdoms could disappear so quickly. Nevertheless, he recalled the task at hand. He knew not to keep the Pianta Syndicate waiting as he set to work.

* * *

By night, Mario finally trudged home covered in mud and soaked to the bone. His home was a little way from the Toad Town near Peach's Castle. A little more secluded with a small garden he could tend to when he wasn't busy. He could see the lights were on when he wandered up the garden path so he assumed Luigi was back from Sarasaland and suspected that Daisy was at the castle with Peach. A quick series of phone calls among princesses allowed them to work out where everyone had been warped by Eldstar. When Mario opened the door he found Luigi asleep on the couch with a book over his head, the mysterious ghost dog, Polterpup, was curled up by his side. The mysterious ghost had decided to visit their home every so often ever since Luigi had wandered into that mansion to save Mario. Now it just felt like a pet, Polterpup even had its own water and food bowls in the kitchen and a bed in Luigi's room.

Polterpup stirred then looked up with blank eyes at Mario, he quietly said "Nice doggie, don't wake him. I'll just clean myself up." Satisfied, Polterpup laid back down while Mario went to the bathroom to clean all the muck off his tired body. He could tell the others what he saw on the other side of the world tomorrow.

* * *

"Gone!?" Peach was utterly shocked by the news Mario had relayed. It was around midday by the time Mario and Luigi had shown up at the palace to help construction. Yet Mario had insisted on speaking to her, Daisy and Luigi in the throne room.

"Bro, really?" Luigi was already quaking "Like it was never there? Was everyone just ghosts!?"

"Surely not, it all seemed and felt too real…"

Mario stood firm on what he saw "I don't know how they did it, but they did. The entire Malevolent Mires is gone and the Arcane Kingdom has melted back into the sea."

"Oh dear… what do you think happened to all those people who lived there?"

"I don't know, I only found out when the Pianta Syndicate wanted me to seal a warp in Roguetown. They didn't seem overly worried though."

"We have to do something… don't we?"

"Like what?" Daisy spoke up with a casual shrug "What could we possibly do?"

Peach stammered "Well… I… maybe if we found them again."

"But you're forgetting that town operated fine without us, maybe it's just doing so again. People don't always want help, they see it as interfering. You have to wait for them to approach you."

"I suppose so."

"I know you want to help, Peach, but sometimes it's best to leave it alone. That's something I had to learn to keep the peace in Sarasaland. You can't meddle with everything."

"PRINCESS!" Toad screeched as he scuttled into the room near sobbing. Before he could explain he was cut off by the throne room door bashing open again. Bowser stormed into the room with minions, his son and the Koopalings in tow.

Toad breathlessly whimpered "Airship! Bow-"

"I think she gets it." A Goomba remarked as he stood beside Toad.

"Bowser? Look, now is good time for any adventures." Peach tried to remain diplomatic as she forced her politeness "My castle and kingdom are still in ruins an-"

"I know." Bowser had lifted a talon to silence her "That's why we're all here."

Peach blinked "Pardon?"

"We're here to help you out. I bought my minions and supplies on the airships. We'll even redecorate the place, I always thought this castle could use more spikes and lava."

"No thankyou, just restore it to how it was please."

"Fine, we'll stick to the boring niceness of it all." Bowser roared to his minions and family "Alright! GET TO WORK!"

After moments of utter chaos in the throne room, eventually everyone filtered out leaving just Peach, Mario, Luigi, Daisy and Bowser alone.

Mario saw a silver lining "With this many people helping everything will be fixed in no time!"

"As long as there are no sinister ulterior motives." Daisy glared at Bowser with her arms crossed over her chest.

"What? Would I do such a thing? That's low… you hurt my feelings." Bowser pouted, then laughed it off "Fine, no, I'm not up to anything weird today."

Luigi stopped laughing when he realised the backhanded remark "Today!?"

"Just," Peach took a deep breath "Thankyou… thankyou everyone."


	23. Epilogue

Close to a year later their combined efforts came to fruition as Peach's Castle and Toad Town had been restored. A grand ball was held to celebrate the achievement. The main hall and throne room of the castle were draped with banners of harlequin, tables were laid with the finest feasts, and the dancefloor took pride of place beside the band in the centre of the main hall. While renovating, Peach had uncovered many beautiful paintings of previous monarchs, even a portrait of her parents. She had placed all these portraits within the throne room to remember where she had come from. Although, she left Lentinellus' portrait in the attic to be lost and forgotten. She wondered whether she should destroy it but a part of her held off on it for now. Among the portraits were impressive landscapes depicting all the surrounding terrains and views of the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach decided to display those in the main hall so her people could admire their own realm's past, present and future.

Guests came from far and wide in their finest gowns, and Bowser promised not to destroy anything. The Koopa King had shown up in his own finely tailored suit along with his family and minions who were equally dressed up for the occasion. Peach sat in her chamber, adjusting herself in her new gown. Apparently Mario had bought it for her from New Donk City at the behest of his old friend Pauline. The magenta and dark pink gown was cut to the mermaid style, tighter around the bodice and thighs to flare out at the bottom. The neckline was off the shoulder and lined with blue stones that matched her usual earrings well. Magenta gloves that reached to her elbows finished the look and Peach found the fabric very comfortable. She was concerned it would've been a tight and awkward garment to wear but it fit like a glove and allowed her to move with ease. Pauline certainly knew her fashion and Peach was thankful that Mario had listened to her.

"Hey Peach, ready to go down?" Daisy piqued up. She was wearing a black karakou with gold and amber patterns, a traditional garb of Sarasaland. The finely tailored jacket was embroidered with elaborate patterns, beneath it was an equally ornate top. Daisy had finished her look with a pair of lose, comfortably pants of flowing fabric. Her usual tiara was swapped for a circlet of gold and amber.

Peach turned to notice her friend's outfit "Oh wow! Daisy, where did you get that? You look beautiful."

"Thanks, I usually wear something like this around the kingdom. A dress with lots of layers can get pretty hot. Also it's really hard to walk around in a full gown in a desert climate." Daisy shyly explained "I just wear a dress when I leave the kingdom because I don't often get a chance to."

"Oh, good, I was worried that perhaps I was forcing you to wear something you didn't want."

"Nah, you've never made fun of any of my kingdom's customs." Daisy gestured to the door leading out "Shall we?"

"Sure… by the way Daisy, do you have some time for one of our lessons in the near future? I'd like to learn more about the art of diplomacy. Like being nice to people is natural to me, but how do I translate it to something more official?"

"Oh, that may take a while to teach. But you're welcome to come to Sarasaland when I need to meet with the various kings in my nation."

"Are you called a princess because there are kings in your land?"

"No, technically I'm the queen and my role doesn't change regardless of my marriage status. But it seems the custom to announce yourself as a princess in this land when you're an unmarried monarch, so I'm just following that."

Peach muttered "I never realised there were so many differences."

"I take it that you're thinking of all this because of everything that's happened?"

"Yes, I… I don't want to end up like Shalazia… so I want to make sure I can be best ruler I can be."

"There's no way you'll ever end up like her." Daisy took Peach's hand and guided her downstairs to the ball; where all doubts and self-loathing could be forgotten for a time.

* * *

Music flowed through the air, loud enough to dance to yet quiet enough to hold a conversation on the outskirts of the hall. The castle had been restored perfectly to its original design. Bowser felt the place needed at least a few lava pools but that was one discussion he was never going to win. Still he had to be happy to be in that grand hall surrounded by people dressed in their best clothes. Even he was wearing a specially tailored tuxedo and top hat he wore when he felt like being fancy. He also kept a close eye on the Koopalings and his son, they appeared a little bored from the low tempo of the music but still behaving as well as they could. Bowser sighed as he saw Lemmy scaling a velvet curtain so he could start swinging from the chandelier; much to Larry and Bowser Junior's amusement. He noticed Ludwig lingering near a wall, alone, Bowser thought he should speak with his nephew until he saw Iggy and Roy wander over to keep him company. He could see Daisy and Luigi heading out into the gardens while Mario and Peach danced together before the band. Bowser never cared for waltzes or formal dances; they always seemed to need couples to perform them. For him, it made way more sense to just keep the music and dance style casual, that way everyone who wanted to dance could do so regardless of their dating life. However, this was Peach's party, not his.

The room was crowded with people from far and wide; Bowser could hardly recognise all of them. More annoyingly was the presence of ornate masks that had come back into fashion lately. It made the act of identifying people even more difficult. He surmised that he should stay until about midnight before departing and continuing on with a wild after party back in his own kingdom. Yet the night appeared to already be taking a more wild turn as people began to shriek. The music abruptly stopped so all eyes could turn to the centre of the room. Peach was floating lifelessly above the dancefloor while Mario tried his best to get to her by jumping. Finally he was swatted away with a backhanded force and the source of the mystery was unveiled.

Bowser recognised that crystalline foe anywhere "Lentinellus?"

"Indeed!" He preened happily; his entire form was ethereally incandescent as he shone over all like a star. "Thanks to Shalazia, I picked up some new tricks and I'm back and better than ever!"

Mario snapped as he picked himself up "What are you doing with the princess!? Let her go!"

"I'm not letting this worthless usurper go. I will make an example of her!" Lentinellus vanished for a moment to reappear on the stairwell leading to the throne room. With a wave of his hand, he conjured a prismatic barrier of light and crystals that Mario discovered was quite solid as he collided into it. Lentinellus smirked "Oh my dear hero, you have a choice, save the town or save your girlfriend." He howled with laughter as he disappeared upstairs with Peach.

Mario's brow furrowed, he than saw that Waluigi was on the other side of the barrier and oblivious to what was happening. The gangly man was studying paintings, sipping wine and eating canapes. Mario tapped on the crystal barrier, shouting "How did you get inside!?"

Waluigi noticed the commotion; he slowly turned looking somewhat perplexed that everyone was staring at him from the other side of a wall that hadn't been there a second ago. He shrugged back then resumed admiring the art display.

Mario threw his hat at the ground "How does he do that!? Why doesn't he help the princess?"

"People don't really notice him, usually they forget he's even there." Wario shrugged as he picked his nose "He's also not a hero type like you so… good luck getting him to do anything."

"Why are you and Waluigi even here? Were you even invited?"

"Well that's just rude, but no, we weren't, but we came anyway."

The castle shuddered as the night sky outside became twisted with light. Bowser roared over the crowd of panicked guests "Everyone! Get to the exits in a calm way! We just need to snap this little pixie boy in half and then we can get back to partying!"

"Quit worrying, it's fine." King Boo remarked as he floated back to the wine bar.

Wario followed his trail of thought "I'm with the flying marshmallow, less panicking, more partying."

"Uh… Bro?" Luigi called out from his place at the main door. From their viewing point they could see strange pixelated minions, the same that Shalazia had conjured. Strange prismatic spires had manifested in the air over Toad Town and acted as beacons to summon them directly into the streets bellow them. When Mario and Bowser made it to Luigi's side, they shared his disbelief.

"Wait a minute, what's that?" Daisy pointed to a looking shadow in the horizon, almost like a floating island. A dark mist was rising from its heart then descending upon the town.

The light of the beacons revealed this mist was in fact a swarm. Giant insects ridden by all manner of bohemians from Rhapsody descended upon the town. They began to defend the people of Toad Town while larger insects sought to disable the beacons. Striking the large, floating gems to reveal their weak point then shattering them with sharpened mandibles or long stingers. A large beetle hybrid landed before the main doorway. Ludwig saw it was Bismillah with Scaramouch and Figaro on its back. Another robed figure jumped down before Bismillah took to the skies again. Ludwig paused for a moment to study the newcomer. The figure was a little shorter than Mario and was wearing a larger version of Fandango's robes and coat. Their hood was up, yet Ludwig could see skeletal hands shimmering with pink light like a ghost poking out of the robe's sleeves.

The figure tugged their hood down, revealing a skeleton head shimmering with a similar ghostly membrane. Two orbs of magenta glowed in its darkened eye sockets while its pink hair flickered around its head like a flame. The skeleton cackled "Sorry about the lateness, we lost track of him. Not to worry, I'll just break this barrier open."

"Fandango!?" Ludwig immediately followed after the skeleton as he marched through the crowds of scared guests towards the barrier in question. "But… how? Why ar-"

"Am I a skeleton now? Well technically a ghost skeleton." Fandango cackled as his hands wavered over the surface of the barrier. Silver stars began to appear in constellations upon its surface. "Look, we were going to respawn, it just took a little longer because Gallileo and I didn't have bodies to return to so we had to make some in the Underwhere." The stars rotated downwards to form inverted pentagrams, turning blood red before consuming the light and crystals of the barrier. "And there we go, trick with barriers like these is that you just need to reverse the polarity of the magic and you're in!"

By then Mario, Luigi, Bowser and Daisy had caught up while the rest of the Koopalings kept unnecessary guests outside. Seeing as the barrier was down, Mario immediately dashed upstairs without considering what was happening. Fandango shrugged and waved to the others to follow him, he appeared unhurried as he dawdled after Mario.

* * *

The throne room took on a more menacing aura. Peach could feel the eyes of her ancestors glaring and judging her from their respective portraits. Lentinellus stopped carrying her, instead snatching a bundle of her hair to drag her into the room and toss her across the ground like garbage. He placed his crystal boot upon her cheek, pressing her face into the floor. Peach felt her pulse race, even when she was kidnapped by Bowser, he never treated her like this.

"Such a pity," Lentinellus remarked as he stepped a little harder, making Peach cry out in pain. "That my descendent is so worthless, so compassionate. We could've worked together if you were a better ruler, like me." He kicked her aside as he strutted about the throne room, carefully sneering at her choice in décor.

She coughed for a moment, feeling sick to the core that she shared blood with this villain. With trembling limbs, Peach got to her feet. "I will never let this kingdom become the bastion of fear and domination you made!" Peach defiantly stated "I cannot change our past, but I will change our future through my actions in the present!"

Lentinellus stormed over and grabbed her by her dainty neck, he began to choke her as he jested "You will do no such thing, **I am the king**. You are but a princess, a pretty little trinket that should be seen and not heard. I will be sure to teach you of your place!"

Neither of them noticed the darkness gather outside as the beacons over Toad Town fell. Lightning crashed as the freak storm wavered outside, barring exit through the balconies. The paintings in the throne room began to sway hypnotically. Portraits of monarchs changed into anything from abstract nightmares to adorable kittens. A loud cackle echoed through their very being. Rustling brought them to their senses there was no logic to the room anymore as the space distorted and twisted. Hallways and doors ripped into existence as the images in the paintings grew blurred. Lentinellus hid behind Peach as he watched strange vines grow from the newly ripped doorways and halls. They swirled closer and closer, edging to swallow them whole in a tomb of thorns.

While distracted Lentinellus didn't see it coming as something grabbed him by the wrist then roughly shoved him into the thorns and ripped Peach from his arms. He struggled against the thorns, ripping them from his body to see a ghostly spectre wafting by her protectively. The chubby ghost was covered in a floating duster and tunic with a heavy backpack on her back. Her short, neon green hair flickered with an invisible wind as she poked her tongue out to reveal a gold ring pierced at its tip. Her body seemed human enough from the waist up, a mix of bone and ghostly membranes tainted green while her lower body was a swirling tail of ectoplasm and tatters of fabric.

"You!?" Lentinellus groaned as he stormed upwards to snatch Peach back "Get your hands off her, you nerdy, fat librarian!"

He then felt a blade cut through his back, Lentinellus was whipped around by the force of another stab and slice to face another skeletal ghost. This one was tainted violet with jagged purple, misty hair that was shaped like lightning bolts around her face. She appeared to be wearing a lab uniform studded by large gold buttons and shaded with dark greys. A thick leather belt hugged her waist while tight sleeves striped black and purple covered her arms to vanish beneath leather gloves. A strange power pack was strapped to her and connected to a set of rapiers; providing the blades with a shocking edge. She grinned, her missing tooth all the more noticeable.

Peach retreated to behind the throne at the ghost's insistence. She cowered and watched as her unholy saviours dealt with her captor.

"Astrapi? Surely this has gone on long enough, just let me win already."

"Nope." Diabella replied as she slashed at him again "You see, while we were in the Underwhere, we figured we needed to make one more deal."

Gallileo grabbed him by the wrist but he broke free of her grasp "Well, more of a peace offering than anything else to herald coexistence in the supernatural realms."

Another stab from Diabella "And let's say that just out of all the people you've tricked into playing your game, she was the first."

"And I think her chance for retaliation against you is long overdue." Gallileo swiftly tried to trip him by grabbing his ankles but he evaded her.

Diabella cut through him so he stood momentarily spliced in half "You owe her after all, and all debts must eventually be repaid."

Gallileo sniggered as she slapped him around the neck and forced Lentinellus back into a single whole rather than pieces.

"You speak nonsense!" Lentinellus protested "I answer to no one and you can't make me. Besides, like I'll ever go back to **her**."

"You sure about that?" A rattle stirred a ghostly chain to life in Diabella's hand. She tugged on it to reveal it was connected to obsidian manacles locked around Lentinellus' wrists, ankles and neck.

Lentinellus' shimmer dulled, the closest to colour draining from one's face. They had tricked him. He felt another shake as a doorway was roared into existence by the fluttering of spirits and waves of shadows. A familiar queen draped in darkness and spikes appeared at it. He whimpered "Queen Jaydes, long time, no see."

"Your majesty, I believe of all the people he's wronged, you copped it worst." Diabella bowed and sheathed her blades "Please, take this miserable cur to your realm and do as you please with him."

Gallileo stated as she passed Queen Jaydes the end of Lentinellus' chains "Consider it a gift from one domain of darkness to the other. With the balance of light and darkness restored, perhaps we can work towards a place of neutrality between our queen and you."

Queen Jaydes did not have to say anything, the sly grin of her ebon lips was enough. Lentinellus was dragged kicking, wailing and bawling into the Underwhere.

The shadows faded, the illusions dissipated and the throne room was as peaceful as it was. Peach finally appeared from behind her throne. She nervously approached the skeletal ghosts and curtsied as best she could "Thankyou." she slipped, falling in Diabella and Gallileo's arms.

Diabella remarked "Take it easy."

"Come on, let's sit you down." Gallileo added as they helped Peach to her throne.

Peach replied "Sorry, I'm still a little woozy from all that."

"It's alright, I'm just glad we got here in time."

"But… you and Queen Jaydes, I swore you were all enemies…"

"I guess that's where you people in the modern era taught us something important." Gallileo smirked "That sometimes people need to put their differences aside for a greater good. The only way we could remove Lentinellus was to enlist Queen Jaydes help. Diabella and I came up with a plan, Lucia made the chains, we just needed Queen Jaydes to enchant them so Lentinellus could not escape."

"Yeah, prophecies be damned and all that. Why can't the two forces of darkness collaborate from time to time?" Diabella announced "So we made a deal, allowing us passage through her realm in return for him in chains."

"Lentinellus!" Mario roared as he barged into the throne room, fists clenched and ready for a fight. His anger disappeared immediately when he saw Peach on the throne. Instead, he ran to her side so he could hold her close "Princess! Are you alright? Did he hurt you!?"

"No and yes, but, it's alright." Peach looked to her saviours "They rescued me."

"Gallileo… Diabella!" Ludwig was shocked as he stood in the doorway with Fandango.

Gallileo smiled broadly, revealing her Boo like fangs "Yeah, we're back."

Diabella teased "Seriously kid, you still following me around like a lost puppy?"

"Okay… everything is sorted?" Luigi scratched his head, a bit lost as to what to do.

Fandango suggested "Maybe tell everyone on the stairs to go down again and continue having fun?"

Luigi saw his brother and Peach get closer to one another, he nodded with a knowing smile "Gotcha, let's give them a moment together."

As everyone else filed out of the throne room, Peach and Mario lingered behind. He kissed her gently, relieved that she was safe while he held her in the silent chamber. From the windows in the throne room they could that the darkness and light had dissipated, returning the sky to its nightly hue. The beacons had disappeared while the isle floating on the horizon felt less menacing as the bugs were retreating back to it. With help from Mario, Peach was led back to her chamber to tend to her injuries and recover for a moment in the company of the one she loved.

* * *

The party downstairs was slowly coming to life again. Bohemians had commandeered the bandstand and were already playing a more lively arrangement of music. Bowser, Wario and King Boo kicked back and relaxed near the bar while Waluigi remained engrossed in the paintings on display. Luigi and Daisy had also disappeared, a sign that they did not wish to be disturbed by bystanders. More people from Toad Town, not on the guest list, had filtered in amidst the chaos. No one seemed to care as they joined in with the dancing and feasting in the great hall. Ludwig circled through the merriment, snorting a chuckle as he watched Fandango, Roy, Morton Junior, Scaramouch and Larry storm the stage to dance lively then dived into the crowd. Their forms surfed atop the densely packed dance floor. Iggy was cackling while stealing cuttings of roses and flowers from the royal garden while Lemmy continued swinging from the chandeliers with Figaro joining in, they were screaming in euphoria as they did so. Wendy was exchanging fashion tips with Magnifico, the ladies of Poshly Heights along with who Ludwig suspected was the wife of the Pianta Syndicate's Don.

He wandered through the chaos of it all; finally coming to the people he'd been looking for. Diabella and Gallileo were on the bridge over the moat; drinking in the cool night air. Ludwig stepped forward nervously, feeling how much all them had changed since they had met a few years ago.

"Well, well, well," Gallileo smiled lazily as she leaned over the railing "Someone's grown up. You look so much more confident in yourself since you first came to the Malevolent Mires."

Diabella laughed "But if you ever want to toy with dark arts, do it under supervision." She pointed to her sister "She's a really good teacher."

"I…" Ludwig bitterly admitted "I'm glad you guys are back. I'm glad you didn't fall for Shalazia's tricks."

Diabella cocked an eyebrow "Shalazia's tricks?"

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it a lot. Like how she was so caught in the past that she was almost forced you guys to regress to who you were rather than who you are."

"It was a pretty close call on Star Road… I'm glad you stopped me or else who knows what would have happened."

Gallileo commented "Still, it seems we all came out stronger and better for it."

"How is my Mum? Is she alright after Lentinellus…" He found his voice fail him as he tried to recall his memory of the encounter.

"She's fine, she's back at the Well of Souls in one piece." Diabella informed "She's never been the motherly kind, but she protects her own and she was really happy to see who you've become. She said she made the right call by giving you to Bowser."

"I… thanks for telling me." Ludwig rocked on his heels "So what's next for you guys and Rhapsody?"

"Not sure, just doing as we please, scavenging and helping out where we can. The Spectre Express station is up and running again, it's only a matter of time before the warp pipe in Roguetown is restored." Gallileo smiled broadly "So you can still visit as often as you want."

Diabella queried "And you? Will you be running off again or staying where you need to be?"

Ludwig pondered his answer carefully, reflecting on everything that had happened and how a part of him would always appreciate his time and acceptance in Rhapsody; that he would also be part of that place as long as he lived. Then he remembered his family, his kingdom, the love he had for his life in the Dark Lands. So he replied "Staying where I need to be."

Diabella nodded knowingly while Gallileo quietly clapped to herself. A large blast of colour and clap of thunder in the sky alerted them to the presence of fireworks. They remained on that bridge most of the night to marvel at the harlequin sky. In the aftermath of it all, Ludwig no longer felt like any part of him was missing. He had changed… and he liked it.


End file.
